Integration of block-copolymer with nano-imprint lithography : pushing the boundaries of emerging nano-patterning technology.

Abstract

The extreme nanoscale features prescribed by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS, e.g., 11nm half-pitch for dense patterns and 4.5nm critical dimensions by 2022) require infrastructure-heavy extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and/or 4 alternative lithography approaches. We report here our efforts to direct the selfassembly of block copolymers (BCP) into device-oriented patterns initially defined by optical interference lithography (IL), and the use of self-assembled BCP patterns as masks to create nanoimprint lithography (NIL) masters via plasma etching. This project reported the first self-assembly of regular sub-20nm features directed by large-area patterns defined by interference lithography with up to 4x density multiplication. Simulation coupled with experimental verification explored critical parameters driving the complex three-dimensional configurations arising from surface interactions during directed self-assembly. NIL of BCP-defined features and patterns was demonstrated as a route to simple plasmonic structures with enhanced optical response. Finally, a non-destructive metrology framework was developed and demonstrated. 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTSAs part of the National Institute for NanoEngineering, this work could not have even been conceived without significant contributions from and collaborations with university partners. The professors (and students) involved with this project were