Validation of etching model of polypropylene layers exposed to argon plasmas

Corbella, Carles; Pranda, Adam; Portal, Sabine; Arcos, Teresa de los; Grundmeier, Guido; Oehrlein, Gottlieb S.; Keudell, Achim von

doi:10.1002/ppap.201900019

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…Such initial surface chemistry modification of the PS followed by a constant slow‐paced plasma etching of polymer thin films was also observed and discussed by Rastogi et al. [ 42 ] for PS as well as by the group of von Keudell [ 47,48 ] for other polymers. Possible explanations for this behavior include UV radiation‐induced breaking of CC and CH bonds, cross‐linking, and surface graphitization, which result in the formation of a passivation layer which then retards the etching of PS.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

High‐Resolution Study of Changes in Morphology and Chemistry of Cylindrical PS‐b‐PMMA Block Copolymer Nanomasks during Mask Development

Bürger

Venugopal

Kool

et al. 2022

Adv Materials Inter

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Nanolithography with self‐assembled block copolymers (BCPs) is an emerging competitive alternative to conventional lithography, which is currently reaching its limits with regard to resolution and economic feasibility. For high‐resolution lithography, both the abruptness of BCP internal interfaces between self‐assembled polymer nanodomains and the processing steps used to selectively remove one of the polymers are crucial. This paper presents a detailed investigation of the chemistry, the mask wall morphology, and the line edge roughness (LER) of self‐assembled nanomasks from polystyrene‐b‐polymethylmethacrylate (PS‐b‐PMMA) before and after selective removal of the PMMA nanodomains. For the latter, either wet or plasma etching are employed and their impact on both the morphology and chemistry of resulting nanomasks is analysed using analytical (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (STEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and polarization‐modulated infrared reflection‐absorption spectroscopy. Dedicated image analysis tools are developed to determine for the first time the LER of cylindrical openings in PS masks from STEM dark‐field images at sub‐nanometer resolution. Applying these tools prior to and after PMMA removal from the BCP films, the statistics of feature sizes, LERs, and interfacial widths are determined. In addition, the impact of wet and dry etching processes on PS‐co‐PMMA random copolymer brushes required for substrate functionalization is evaluated.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

High‐Resolution Study of Changes in Morphology and Chemistry of Cylindrical PS‐b‐PMMA Block Copolymer Nanomasks during Mask Development

Bürger

Venugopal

Kool

et al. 2022

Adv Materials Inter

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“…It was found that the depth of the modified layer was 40-50 nm in this case. The authors compared the experimental and theoretical data on determination of the depth of the modified layer for a polypropylene (PP) film treated by inductively coupled RF argon plasma [9]. Experimental data, obtained using ellipsometry, ion bombardment etching, and exposure to vacuum ultraviolet radiation, were in good agreement with the simulation results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…It is currently believed that the depth of a modified layer of polymers, treated by various kinds of discharges, is in the range from several nanometers to ≤1-2 µm. However, we know only a few works devoted to the experimental determination of the depth of the modified layer after plasma treatment of polymers [7][8][9], although this parameter is very important for understanding the mechanism of plasma action on the surface of polymers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It can be assumed that such a significant change in the diffusion properties is associated with a change in the chemical structure and morphology of the surface layer of PVTMS. The depth of the modified layer depends on the nature of the polymer and the conditions of plasma treatment [7][8][9][10]. The experimental values of the depth of the modified layer obtained for several polymers are from 2 to 50 nm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Depth Profile Analysis of the Modified Layer of Poly(vinyltrimethylsilane) Films Treated by Direct-Current Discharge

et al. 2021

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Previously, we found that modification of the membrane surface from polyvinyltrimethylsilane (PVTMS) by treatment with low-temperature plasma induced by low pressure DC discharge leads to a significant increase in gas separation characteristics. To understand the mechanism of this phenomenon, in this article XPS combined with precision etching 10 keV beam of Ar2500+ clusters was used for depth profiling of PVTMS spin-coated films before and after DC discharge treatment. The etching craters depths were measured by stylus surface profiler. The average etching rate of the untreated PVTMS film by Ar2500+ clusters was defined (230 nm/min). It was found that the low temperature plasma treatment of PVTMS leads to a sharp increase in the oxygen concentration on a surface with a simultaneous decrease in the carbon content. The experimental data obtained indicate also that the treatment of PVTMS film by plasma leads not only to a change in the chemical structure of the surface, but also to the formation of a gradient subsurface layer with a thickness of about 50 nm.

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“…Recently, this model was validated in an inductively coupled plasma setup by ellipsometry. [15] Thus, the separation of different plasma-related effects can lead to a deeper understanding of the overall plasma process and afterward be transferred to different and more complex plasma setups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In situ backside Raman spectroscopy of zinc oxide nanorods in an atmospheric‐pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma

Knust

Ruhm

Kuhlmann

et al. 2021

J Raman Spectroscopy

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This work presents in situ backside Raman spectroscopy as a method for the investigation of atmospheric-pressure plasma modification of thin oxide films on metals. By using the backside of a permeable electrode, various contributions from the plasma (UV radiation, electrons, etc.) are blocked, which allows us to solely evaluate the effect of the plasma effluent. This approach is applied to study the influence of different gas mixtures (Ar, Ar/H 2 O, and Ar/O 2 ) on the plasma treatment of zinc oxide nanorod films. The spectral analysis reveals the interaction of the plasma effluent with the zinc sublattice, introducing defects dependent on the plasma gas-phase composition. The in situ measurements show that both the effluent/surface interaction and the resulting defects induce lattice stress in the wurtzite structure. Ex situ Raman measurements demonstrate that the defect stability over time depends on the defect type. The results for the dielectric barrier discharge plasma modification of ZnOnanostructured thin films indicate that the presented Raman spectroscopic setup is suitable for a variety of systems with a focus on remote plasma modifications.

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Validation of etching model of polypropylene layers exposed to argon plasmas

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

High‐Resolution Study of Changes in Morphology and Chemistry of Cylindrical PS‐b‐PMMA Block Copolymer Nanomasks during Mask Development

High‐Resolution Study of Changes in Morphology and Chemistry of Cylindrical PS‐b‐PMMA Block Copolymer Nanomasks during Mask Development

Depth Profile Analysis of the Modified Layer of Poly(vinyltrimethylsilane) Films Treated by Direct-Current Discharge

In situ backside Raman spectroscopy of zinc oxide nanorods in an atmospheric‐pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma

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