Triarylmethyl Chalcogenide Polymer for Grafted Neutral Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a novel material that can form a grafted polymer layer on semiconductor, metal, and metal oxide substrates through a simple spin coating process without the use of activating components like acidic compounds or highly reactive grafting sites, which can alter surface properties such as coatability and corrosion resistance, and also provide selective grafting and improved lithographic performance.
Innovation Solution
A non-aqueous graftable coating composition containing a polymer with a triarylmethyl chalcogenide moiety, which forms an insoluble grafted film on substrates when baked, acting as a pinning or neutral layer for self-assembly, without the need for additives or highly reactive sites, and can selectively graft onto specific substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional lithographic exposure processes are used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the feature dimensions cannot be reduced below a certain limit due to resolution limitations
Solution Approach 1:
A neutral layer comprising a grafted polymer film is introduced as an intermediary between the substrate and the block copolymer. This neutral layer mediates the interaction by providing a surface that does not preferentially interact with either block of the diblock copolymer, enabling controlled self-assembly and perpendicular orientation of domains without requiring complex lithographic modifications
Solution Approach 2:
The neutral layer is formed in advance through spin coating and thermal treatment before the block copolymer is applied. The grafted polymer film is prepared beforehand with specific thickness and grafting density to ensure proper self-assembly behavior, allowing subsequent lithographic steps to focus solely on pattern definition without additional complexity
2Reliability
If grafted polymer films are formed to improve surface properties, then coatability and corrosion resistance are enhanced, but the formation process becomes more complex requiring activating components
Solution Approach 1:
The polymer contains pendant triarylmethyl chalcogenide moieties that automatically undergo grafting reactions with the substrate when heated to 60-200°C, without requiring any external activating components, catalysts, or complex surface treatment steps. The system self-activates through simple thermal energy input
Solution Approach 2:
The grafting process is controlled by changing the thermal parameter (temperature) from ambient to 60-200°C, which activates the grafting reaction. This simple parameter change replaces complex chemical activation procedures, maintaining reliability while reducing process complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition enables the formation of a stable grafted film that enhances surface properties like coatability and corrosion resistance, allows for selective grafting, and improves lithographic performance by acting as a pinning or neutral layer for self-assembly, reducing processing steps and improving pattern resolution.
Implementation Method 1
Grafted polymer which form covalently bound film on the surface of a substrate can be prepared by plasma deposition, electrochemical deposition or self-assembly. The strength of covalent bond predicates the adherence of film
Implementation Method 2
Self-assembly and directed self-assembly, where the grating of polymer brushes on the surface of Silicon or Silicon oxide substrates can be employed for the formation of neutral layer on these surfaces which allow block copolymer to orient their domains perpendicular to the substrate surface during self-assembly or directed self-assembly
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to non aqueous, graftable coating composition comprised of a homogenous solution of a polymer and a spin casting organic solvent, where the composition does not contain acidic compounds, coloring particles, pigments or dyes, and the polymer has a linear polymer chain structure which is comprised of repeat units derived from monomers containing a single polymerizable olefinic carbon double bond, and the polymer contains at least one triarylmethyl chalcogenide containing moiety which is selected from the group consisting of repeat units having structure (I) an end chain group unit of structure (II) and mixtures thereof, and the polymer does not contain any repeat units or end groups containing water ionizable groups, ionic groups, free thiol groups, or free hydroxy groups, and where A1, A2, and A3 are independently an Aryl or a substituted Aryl; Y is a chalcogen selected from O, S, Se or Te; X1 and X2 are individually selected organic spacers; P1 is an organic polymer repeat unit moiety derived from a monomer containing a single polymerizable olefinic carbon double bound, and P2 is an end group moiety derived from a monomer containing a single polymerizable olefinic carbon double bound, and (formula AA) represents a direct valence bond to the linear polymer. The invention also relates to using this novel coating composition to form a grafted polymer film on a substrate.