Extensions of self-assembled structures to increased dimensions via a “bootstrap” self-templating method

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a neutral wetting floor, sidewalls, a width and a length;annealing the first film to form a base layer comprising self-assembled polymer domains registered to the sidewalls and extending the length of the trench;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said film within the trench self assembles to form polymer domains registered to corresponding polymer domains of the base layer and said annealed film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material; andcrosslinking polymer domains of the second film.

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a preferential wetting floor, sidewalls, a width and a length;annealing the first film to form a base film comprising lines of parallel-oriented half-cylinder polymer domains registered to the sidewalls and extending the length of the trench;crosslinking polymer domains of the base film;forming a second film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate to form polymer domains registered to corresponding polymer domains of the base film within the trench, wherein said annealed second film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material; andcrosslinking polymer domains of the second film.

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a neutral wetting floor, sidewalls, a width and a length;annealing the first film to form a base layer comprising self-assembled polymer domains registered to the sidewalls and extending the length of the trench;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said film within the trench self assembles to form polymer domains registered to corresponding polymer domains of the base layer and said annealed second film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material;crosslinking polymer domains of the second film;removing non-ordered polymer material on the substrate outside the trench; andrepeating the steps of forming a self-assembling block copolymer film, annealing the film, crosslinking the film, and removing non-ordered polymer material on the substrate outside the trench to form a multi-layered film comprising self-assembled polymer domains registered to underlying and corresponding polymer domains.

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film within a trench in a substrate, the first film comprising a block copolymer comprising first and second polymer blocks and capable of microphase separating and self-assembling upon annealing, the trench having a neutral wetting floor, sidewalls, a width, and a length;annealing the first film to cause a microphase separation of the polymer blocks to form a base layer comprising self-assembled polymer domains registered to the sidewalls and extending the length of the trench;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film over the crosslinked base layer and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film comprising a block copolymer comprising first and second polymer blocks and capable of microphase separating and self-assembling upon annealing, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate to cause a microphase separation of the polymer blocks to form self-assembled polymer domains of the first polymer block and the second polymer block registered to the corresponding domains of the base layer within the trench, wherein the annealed second film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material; andcrosslinking polymer domains of the self-assembled second film.

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a lamellar-phase self-assembling block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a neutral wetting floor, sidewalls, a width and a length;annealing the first film to form a base layer comprising self-assembled lamellar polymer domains spanning the width and extending the length of the trench in a substantially parallel orientation to the sidewalls;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film comprising a self-assembling lamellar-phase block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said film within the trench self-assembles to form lamellar polymer domains registered to corresponding lamellar polymer domains of the crosslinked base layer and said annealed second film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material; andcrosslinking polymer domains of the self-assembled second film.

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a cylindrical-phase self-assembling block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a width, a length, preferential wetting sidewalls, and a preferential wetting floor;annealing the first film to form a base layer comprising lines of self-assembled half-cylinder polymer domains spanning the width, registered to the sidewalls and extending the length of the trench in a substantially parallel orientation to the sidewalls within a matrix of a second polymer domain;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer and the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said second film within the trench self assembles to form polymer domains registered to corresponding polymer domains of the base layer, and said annealed film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material; andcrosslinking polymer domains of the self-assembled second film.

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a cylindrical-phase self-assembling block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a width, a length, preferential wetting sidewalls and a neutral wetting trench floor;annealing the first film to form a base layer comprising perpendicular-oriented cylinders of a first polymer domain within and extending through a matrix of a second polymer domain to the trench floor;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said second film self assembles to form polymer domains registered to corresponding polymer domains of the base layer within the trench and said annealed second film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material; andcrosslinking polymer domains of the self-assembled second film.

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a cylindrical-phase block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having preferential wetting sidewalls, a preferential wetting floor, a width and a length;annealing the first film to form a base layer comprising parallel lines of surface-exposed half-cylinder domains of the first polymer block in a matrix of the second polymer block, the half-cylinder domains registered to the sidewalls and extending the length of the trench, wherein a pitch distance between each half-cylinder domain is about Lo;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film comprising a lamellar-phase block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said film within the trench self assembles to form a single array of perpendicularly oriented, alternating lamellar domains of the first polymer block and the second polymer block registered to corresponding polymer domains of the base layer, and said film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material; andcrosslinking polymer domains of the self-assembled second film.

A method for fabricating a film comprising nanoscale microstructures, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a cylindrical-phase self-assembling block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a width, a length, preferential wetting sidewalls, and a neutral wetting floor;annealing the first film to form a base layer comprising self-assembled, perpendicular-oriented cylindrical polymer domains of a first polymer domain within and extending through a matrix of a second polymer domain to the trench floor, said cylinders extending the length of the trench in a single array and a substantially parallel orientation to the sidewalls;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film comprising a self-assembling cylindrical-phase block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said film within the trench self-assembles to form cylindrical polymer domains registered to corresponding polymer domains of the crosslinked, annealed base layer and said film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material; andcrosslinking polymer domains of the self-assembled second film.

A method of etching a substrate, comprising:nforming an etch mask, comprising:nforming a first film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a neutral wetting floor, sidewalls, a width and a length;annealing the first film to form a base layer comprising self-assembled polymer domains registered to the sidewalls and extending the length of the trench;crosslinking polymer domains of the base layer;forming a second film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer over the crosslinked base layer and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said film within the trench self assembles to form polymer domains registered to corresponding polymer domains of the base layer and said film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material;crosslinking polymer domains of the self-assembled second film; andselectively removing a first polymer domain to form an array of openings separated by a second polymer domain; andetching the substrate through the openings of the etch mask.

A method of etching a substrate, comprising:nforming an etch mask, comprising:nforming a base film within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a preferential wetting floor, sidewalls, a width and a length, the base film comprising lines of parallel-oriented half-cylinders of a first polymer domain in a matrix of a second polymer domain, said half-cylinder lines registered to the sidewalls and extending the length of the trench;crosslinking polymer domains of the base film;forming a second film comprising a lamellar-phase block copolymer over the crosslinked base film and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for the second film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing;annealing the second film within the trench and on the substrate such that said second film within the trench self assembles to form the lamellar domains registered to corresponding polymer domains of the base layer and said second film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material;crosslinking polymer domains of the second film;selectively removing lamellar domains of the second film and the underlying half-cylinders of the base layer to form a linear array of openings extending the length of the trench and parallel to the sidewalls; andremoving a portion of the matrix to extend said openings to expose the floor of the trench; andetching the substrate through the openings of the etch mask.

A method of etching a substrate, comprising:nforming an etch mask, comprising:nforming a base film comprising a first block copolymer within a trench in a substrate, the trench having a neutral wetting floor, sidewalls, a width and a length, the base film comprising perpendicular-oriented cylinders of a first polymer domain in a matrix of a second polymer domain, said cylinders extending through the matrix to the trench floor;crosslinking polymer domains of the base film;forming a second block copolymer film over the crosslinked base film and over the substrate adjacent the trench, the second block copolymer film having a thickness over the substrate insufficient for said film to self-assemble to form ordered structures upon annealing; andannealing the second block copolymer film within the trench and on the substrate such that said second block copolymer film within the trench self assembles to form perpendicular-oriented cylinders of a first polymer domain registered to corresponding perpendicular-oriented cylinders of the base layer and said second block copolymer film on the substrate outside the trench comprises non-ordered polymer material;crosslinking polymer domains of the second film; andselectively removing the first polymer domain to form an array of cylindrical openings; andetching the substrate through the openings of the etch mask.