Characterizing the Interface Scaling of High χ Block Copolymers near the Order-Disorder Transition.

Advancements in the directed self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) have prompted the development of new materials with larger effective interaction parameters ( χ _e ). This enables BCP systems with phase separation at increasingly small degrees of polymerization ( N ). Very often these systems reside near the order-disorder transition and fit between the weak and strong segregation limits where the behavior of BCP systems is not as thoroughly understood. Utilizing resonant soft X-ray reflectivity (RSoXR) enables both the BCP pitch ( L ₀ ) and interface width ( w _M ) to be determined simultaneously, through a direct characterization of the composition profile of BCP lamellae oriented parallel to a substrate. A series of high χ _e BCPs with χ _e ranging from ≈0.04 to 0.25 and χ _e N from 19 to 70 have been investigated. The L ₀ / w _m ratio serves as an important metric for the feasibility of a material for nanopatterning applications; the results of the RSoXR measurement are used to establish a relationship between χ _e and L ₀ / w _m . The results of this analysis are correlated with experimentally established limits for the functionality of BCPs in nanopatterning applications. These results also provide guidance for the magnitude of χ _e needed to achieve small interface width for samples with sub-10 nm L ₀ .
Competing Interests: Notes The authors declare no competing financial interest.