High throughput sub-10nm metallic particles organization on templates made by block copolymer self-assembly and nanoimprint

Display Omitted Self-assembly of spherical PS-b-PDMS to produce high resolution nanoimprint molds.High resolution nano-holes arrays are then fabricated in a thermoplastic polymer.Placement of 10nm gold particles into this array by capillary force assembly.Proposed process makes the bridge between the colloidal domain and the chip world. The combination of block copolymer (BCP) and nanoimprint lithography (NIL) presents a novel and cost-effective approach to achieve sub-50nm patterning resolution. Through this study, the authors demonstrate the placement of a few Au nanoparticles per hole using capillary force assembly (CFA). Polystyrene block poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PS-b-PDMS) with spherical morphology is used as etching mask, which is then transferred into Si by a plasma etching. Si posts with ~35nm of diameter, ~55nm of height and ~51nm of periodicity are obtained. Si templates are then used as a NIL master mould to pattern a thermoplastic resist. An ultra-high resolution hole-array is created on a polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) substrate, where 10-nm Au nanoparticles are placed in each hole. The BCP-NIL method, presented here, is highly promising for the current semiconductor industry to build devices in the fields of opto-electronics, chemical sensors and energy conversion and storage.