Abstract
Self-organizing block copolymer thin films hold promise as a photolithography enhancement material for the 22-nm
microelectronics technology generation and beyond, primarily because of their ability to form highly uniform patterns at
the relevant nanometer-scale dimensions. Importantly, the materials are chemically similar to photoresists and can be
implemented in synergy with photolithography. Beyond the challenges of achieving sufficient control of self-assembled
pattern defectivity and feature roughness, block copolymer-based patterning requires creation of robust processes for
transferring the polymer patterns into underlying electronic materials. Here, we describe research efforts in hardening
block copolymer resist patterns using inorganic materials and high aspect ratio plasma etch transfer of self-assembled
patterns to silicon using fluorine-based etch chemistries.