Towards achieving a large-area and defect-free nano-line pattern via controlled self-assembly by sequential annealing
Tao Wen,
Bo Ni,
Yuchu Liu,
Wei Zhang,
Zi-Hao Guo,
Yi-Chien Lee,
Rong-Ming Ho,
Stephen Z.D. Cheng
Affiliations
Tao Wen
South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640
Bo Ni
South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640
Yuchu Liu
South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640
Wei Zhang
Institute of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325
Zi-Hao Guo
South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640
Yi-Chien Lee
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30013
Rong-Ming Ho
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30013
Stephen Z.D. Cheng
South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China 510640; Institute of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325
Utilizing the controlled self-assembling of a giant surfactant, a bottom-up method for constructing line gratings with sub-10 nm resolution has been developed. Via a simple solvent vapor annealing procedure, the giant surfactant comprised of an oligomeric silsesquioxane (DPOSS) and polystyrene (PS) tail (i.e., DPOSS-PS) has been precisely self-assembled into perpendicularly oriented lamellae structures. A follow-up thermal annealing further significantly promotes the long-range ordering, giving rise to highly oriented and defect-free sub-10 nm line patterns (up to areas of several µm2). The solvent evaporation and thermal annealing process, together with the strong segregation strength (χN) of DPOSS-PS, play crucial roles in the self-orientation and width-reduction of the line patterns. This simple processing of the easy-accessed giant surfactants results in a facile and more economic approach for large-scale nano-sized line grating fabrication.
