Using Self-Assembled Cyclic and Linear Block Copolymer Blends as Templates for Sub-10 nm Soft Lithography

使用自组装环状和线性嵌段共聚物混合物作为亚 10 nm 软光刻的模板

• 批准号: 1825881
• 负责人: Julie Albert
• 金额: $ 39.88万
• 依托单位: Tulane University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-08-15 至 2022-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1825881&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Using; Self; Assembled; Cyclic; Linear

Thanks to advancements in the microelectronics industry over the past fifty years, today's smart phones are more powerful and less expensive than the best supercomputers of the 1970's and 1980's. These technologies impact nearly every facet of life - from entertainment and personal communication to healthcare and national defense. Currently, computer chip manufacturing uses lasers to pattern ever-smaller features to make faster processors and create higher density data storage. However, the cost of patterning using this approach is rising faster than the benefits afforded by smaller features, necessitating the development of new manufacturing approaches to advance the field and maintain U.S. status as a world leader in advanced manufacturing. This grant supports fundamental research into an alternative patterning method that uses block copolymers, a type of rubbery plastic that naturally forms nanoscale patterns through a process called self-assembly. The research generates the knowledge necessary to transform the manufacture of next-generation nanoelectronics that can be incorporated into communication devices, security technologies, health monitors, and disease treatments. These advances contribute to national prosperity, health and security. This project brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in molecular simulations and experimental materials synthesis to train a diverse cohort of high school, undergraduate, and doctoral students that will drive innovation in advanced materials manufacturing.Block copolymer self-assembly offers a direct manufacturing route to nanostructure formation that eliminates the need for more complex, time-consuming, and costly laser-based patterning methods. This project investigates the phase behavior of strongly segregated cyclic block copolymers, which show promise for accessing sub-10 nm feature sizes and stabilizing polymer thin films against dewetting. The project uses complementary experimental and computational approaches to not only compare cyclic block copolymers to linear analogues but also to evaluate nanostructure quality in cyclic/linear block copolymer blends as templates for nanolithography. To realize manufacturing scalability of this approach, two critical challenges are addressed: First, using small quantities of cyclic block copolymer as a structure-directing and film-stabilizing agent to achieve target lithographic domain sizes while minimizing the amount of specialty cyclic block copolymer. Second, if shorter reaction times and less dilute solution conditions are used in the synthesis of cyclic molecules to improve yield, understanding what linear impurities are generated and how do they impact self-assembly. Throughout the project, insight into the thermodynamic origin of the structures formed are derived from molecular simulations to guide and optimize experimental design.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

得益于过去五十年来微电子行业的进步，今天的智能手机比1970年代和1980年代最好的超级计算机更强大，更便宜。这些技术几乎影响了生活的每个方面 - 从娱乐和个人交流到医疗保健和国防。当前，计算机芯片制造使用激光器来对越来越小的功能进行模式，以制造更快的处理器并创建更高的密度数据存储。但是，使用这种方法的图案成本比较小的功能所带来的好处要快，这是必须开发新的制造方法来推进该领域并保持美国作为高级制造业世界领导者的地位。该赠款支持对使用块共聚物的替代图案方法的基本研究，该方法使用块共聚物，这是一种橡胶塑料，通过称为自组装的过程自然形成纳米级模式。该研究产生了改变下一代纳米电子学的制造所需的知识，这些知识可以纳入通信设备，安全技术，健康监测器和疾病治疗。这些进步有助于国家繁荣，健康和安全。该项目汇集了一个跨学科的研究人员团队，具有分子模拟和实验材料合成方面的专业知识，以培训各种各样的高中，本科生和博士生，这些学生将推动高级材料制造中的无关。块共聚物自组装提供直接制造路线，以使纳米结构形成更加复杂，以消除更复杂的方法，并消除了时间，并消除了时间，并消除了时间，并将其用于时间。该项目研究了强烈隔离的环状嵌段共聚物的相行为，这些相结合物显示出访问低于10 nm的特征大小和稳定聚合物薄膜的有望。该项目使用互补的实验和计算方法不仅将环状块共聚物与线性类似物进行比较，还可以评估循环/线性块共聚物混合物中的纳米结构质量作为纳米射击模板。为了实现这种方法的制造可伸缩性，解决了两个关键挑战：首先，使用少量的环状块共聚物作为结构导向和薄膜稳定的剂，以实现目标光刻域的大小，同时最小化专业循环块共聚物的量。其次，如果在循环分子的合成中使用较短的反应时间和较少的稀释溶液条件以提高产量，请了解哪些线性杂质产生了哪些线性杂质以及它们如何影响自组装。在整个项目中，对形成的结构的热力学起源的见解源自分子模拟，以指导和优化实验设计。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛影响的审查标准通过评估来获得支持的。

项目成果

Impact of Cyclic Block Copolymer Chain Architecture and Degree of Polymerization on Nanoscale Domain Spacing: A Simulation and Scaling Theory Analysis

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02015
• 发表时间: 2019-12-10
• 期刊: MACROMOLECULES
• 影响因子: 5.5
• 作者: Goodson, Amy D.;Troxler, Jessie E.;Albert, Julie N. L.
• 通讯作者: Albert, Julie N. L.