Directed self-assembly of block copolymers with functional materials : a study of nanocomposite thin film fabrication on graphoepitaxial templates
Author(s)
Ding, Yi, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
DownloadFull printable version (48.68Mb)
Alternative title
Study of nanocomposite thin film fabrication on graphoepitaxial templates
Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Advisor
Alfredo Alexander-Katz.
Terms of use
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Block copolymers (BCPs) are a class of soft materials consisting of two (or more) different chains joint together by covalent bond. This special chemical structure leads to microphase separation and consequently a variety of highly controllable self-assembly patterns. Directed self-assembly (DSA) of BCPs has therefore emerged as one of the most promising technologies to fabricate functional nanostructures and is able to produce patterns with ultra-small resolution (sub-10 nm) while maintaining high throughput and order. However, existing DSA methods depend mostly on carbon or silicon-based BCPs, thus lack functionality for sophisticated applications. This work aims at expanding the capability of DSA techniques by exploring new ways of incorporating functional materials into the BCP matrix and by imposing non-native symmetries on the BCP patterns. First, we focused on constructing nanocomposite thin films composed of BCPs and various types of functional materials (i.e., inorganic ions, inorganic-organic complex, organic compounds and nanoparticles). Based upon this methodology, we developed novel ways of fabricating mesoporous thin film structures with rectangular, triangular and quasicrystalline symmetries by means of graphoepitaxial post array templates. On the other hand, we also examined the limits of DSA by introducing artificial noise to mimic fabrication errors and studied the corresponding responses from BCP. This study demonstrates the potential of DSA of BCP in building thin film nanostructure of unconventional symmetries with functional components.
Description
Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2017. This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-169).
Date issued
2017Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and EngineeringPublisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Materials Science and Engineering.