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Block Copolymer Thin Films: Physics and Applications

Published

Author(s)

Michael J. Fasolka, A M. Mayes

Abstract

A two-part review of research concerning block copolymer thin films is presented. The first section summarizes experimental and theoretical studies of the fundamental physics of these systems, concentrating upon the forces that govern film morphology. The role of film thickness and surface energetics on the morphology of compositionally symmetric, amorphous diblock copolymer films is emphasized, including considerations of boundary condition symmetry, so-called hybrid structures and surface chemical expression. discussions of compositionally asymmetric systems and emerging research areas, e.g. liquid-crystalline and A-B-C triblock systems, are also included. In the second section, technological applications of block copolymer films, e.g., as lithographic masks and photonic materials, are considered. here, particular attention is paid to means by which microphase domain order and orientation can be controlled, including exploitation of thickness and surface effects, the application of external fields, and the use of patterned substrates. (This is a review article and therefore includes a significant literature survey. References are found at the end of the manuscript.)
Citation
Annual Review of Materials Science
Volume
31

Keywords

block copolymers, patterning, thin films

Citation

Fasolka, M. and Mayes, A. (2001), Block Copolymer Thin Films: Physics and Applications, Annual Review of Materials Science, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=841503 (Accessed March 19, 2024)
Created February 15, 2001, Updated February 19, 2017