Smectic hybrid oligo(dimethylsiloxane) liquid crystal for nanopatterning

K. Nickmans; A. P. H. J. Schenning

doi:10.1117/12.2266586

15 February 2017 Smectic hybrid oligo(dimethylsiloxane) liquid crystal for nanopatterning

K. Nickmans, A. P. H. J. Schenning

Proceedings Volume 10125, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies XII; 1012513 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2266586
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2017, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Block copolymer self-assembly is a candidate resolution enhancement technique for patterning at future technology nodes. The technology is based on the micro-phase separation of chemically immiscible (eg polar/apolar) block copolymers that contain etch contrast (eg. organic/inorganic) into regular patterns (eg. lamellar or cylindrical) with periodicities between 10 - 100 nm. One of the challenges that remain for the implementation of self-assembly in nanopatterning is extendibility of the technology to smaller features. In contrast to block copolymers, liquid crystals are able to self-assemble at the molecular length scale (1-10 nm). The current work reports on a liquid crystal with inherent etch contrast and its self-assembly behavior. A monodisperse oligo(dimethylsiloxane) liquid crystal is synthesized via hydrosilylation and characterized. The formation of a temperature dependent tilted smectic phase with a periodicity of approximately 3.0 nm is demonstrated via differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The director tilt is highly dependent on temperature (20° - 70°), while the layer spacing is relatively temperature independent (2.99 - 3.03 nm). Finally, we show that the liquid crystal forms lamellar sheets in thin films.

Citation Download Citation

K. Nickmans and A. P. H. J. Schenning "Smectic hybrid oligo(dimethylsiloxane) liquid crystal for nanopatterning", Proc. SPIE 10125, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies XII, 1012513 (15 February 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2266586

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