3D TEM Tomography of Templated Bilayer Films of Block Copolymers

Abstract

Self-Assembly Understanding the 3D structure of self-assembled block copolymer fi lms is essential to their applications in nanolithography. The 3D microdomain structure of a block copolymer consisting of polydimethylsiloxane cylindrical domains in a polystyrene matrix, templated by posts, is determined by TEM tomography. The cylinders form a cross-point array (left), which is compared with the predictions of self-consistent fi eld theory (right). www.afm-journal.deAdv. Funct. Mater. 2014, 24, 7564-7569

Designing three-dimensional ordered structures from directed self-assembly of block copolymer films in topographical templates

“…From the deformation degrees of cylinders in the top and bottom layers, one can find that the top cylinders form the more commensurate alignment in the meshshaped structures, which may help the experimentalists to devise the cross-point memory device in the process of 3D nanofabrication. More recently, Gotrik et al utilized transmission electron microscope tomography to visualize the morphologies of cylinder bilayers in the topographical templates [35]. It is found that the circularity of top cylinders is larger than that of bottom cylinders.…”

“…One particular aspect of the problem concerns the orientation behavior of block copolymer domains in various layers. However, it is currently difficult to directly visualize the interior of 3D structures in experiments, although tremendous progresses have been made towards characterizing the complex architectures at nanometer scales [34,35].…”

Strategies for Inorganic Incorporation using Neat Block Copolymer Thin Films for Etch Mask Function and Nanotechnological Application

“…TEM tomography has previously been employed to study bilayer PS-b -PDMS fi lms since PDMS possesses suffi cient block mass contrast for bright fi eld imaging. [ 230 ] However, the SIS procedure now allows analyses of BCP defects and similar in 3D in PS-b -PMMA BCPs. The process could be extremely effective for characterizing a whole host of commonly examined BCP systems that do not inherently hold suffi cient phase contrast.…”

Three Dimensional Assembly in Directed Self-assembly of Block Copolymers

“…A variety of directing strategies, such as chemoepitaxy [3,4], graphoepitaxy [5,6], and pre-patterns that combine both chemo and graphoepitaxy [7], have been demonstrated. While BCP thin films are generally addressed as 2D patterning layers, BCP are inherently three dimensional (3D) materials, and even in extremely thin film, where the film thickness is smaller than the BCP periodicity (L 0 ), 3D structures can be found [8]. Indeed recent investigations using X-ray scattering [9,10], transmission electron microscopy (TEM) [8,11], and molecular simulations [12,13] have shed light on the three-dimensional structures that form in DSA films.…”

“…While BCP thin films are generally addressed as 2D patterning layers, BCP are inherently three dimensional (3D) materials, and even in extremely thin film, where the film thickness is smaller than the BCP periodicity (L 0 ), 3D structures can be found [8]. Indeed recent investigations using X-ray scattering [9,10], transmission electron microscopy (TEM) [8,11], and molecular simulations [12,13] have shed light on the three-dimensional structures that form in DSA films. These structures include the through-film domain morphology, the fluctuations (roughness) of the domains, and the 3D structure of defects.…”