Chemically tailored block copolymers for highly reliable sub-10-nm patterns by directed self-assembly

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49839-0
• Publication Date: 2024-07-06T07:01:52Z
• Authors: Shinsuke Maekawa; Takehiro Seshimo; Takahiro Dazai; Kazufumi Sato; Kan Hatakeyama-Sato; Yuta Nabae; Teruaki Hayakawa
• Keywords: Glycidyl methacrylate; Polystyrene

Abstract While block copolymer (BCP) lithography is theoretically capable of printing features smaller than 10 nm, developing practical BCPs for this purpose remains challenging. Herein, we report the creation a chemically tailored, highly reliable, and practically applicable sub-10-nm line patterns by directed self-assembly. Polystyrene- -[poly(glycidyl methacrylate)- random -poly(methyl methacrylate)] (PS- b -(PGMA- r -PMMA) or PS- -PGM), which based on -PMMA with an appropriate amount introduced PGMA (10–33 mol%) quantitatively post-functionalized thiols. The use 2,2,2-trifluoroethanethiol leads to polymers -PG F Ms) Flory–Huggins interaction parameters ( χ ) that are 3.5–4.6-times higher well-defined higher-order structures domain spacings less 20 nm. This study smallest perpendicular lamellar size 12.3 Furthermore, thin-film alignment vertical orientation reliably reproducibly obtained self-assembly yield correspond 7.6 nm half-pitch size.