Surface Roughening of Polystyrene and Poly(methyl methacrylate) in ArO2 Plasma Etching 英文参考文献.docVIP

Polymers 2010, 2, 649-663; doi:10.3390/polym2040649 OPEN ACCESS polymers ISSN 2073-4360 /journal/polymers Article Surface Roughening of Polystyrene and Poly(methyl methacrylate) in Ar/O2 Plasma Etching Yuk-Hong Ting 1, Chi-Chun Liu 2, Sang-Min Park 2, Hongquan Jiang 3, Paul F. Nealey 2 and Amy E. Wendt 1,* 1 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; E-Mail: yting@ (Y.-H.T.) 2 Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; E-Mails:cliu22@ (C.-C.L.); parknyh@ (S.-M.P.); nealey@ (P.F.N.) 3 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; E-Mail: Hongquan.Jiang@ (H.J.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: wendt@; Tel.: +1-608-262-8407. Received: 2 September 2010; in revised form: 31 October 2010 / Accepted: 26 November 2010 / Published: 2 December 2010 Abstract: Selectively plasma-etched polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) diblock copolymer masks present a promising alternative for subsequent nanoscale patterning of underlying films. Because mask roughness can be detrimental to pattern transfer, this study examines roughness formation, with a focus on the role of cross-linking, during plasma etching of PS and PMMA. Variables include ion bombardment energy, polymer molecular weight and etch gas mixture. Roughness data support a proposed model in which surface roughness is attributed to polymer aggregation associated with cross-linking induced by energetic ion bombardment. In this model, RMS roughness peaks when cross-linking rates are comparable to chain scissioning rates, and drop to negligible levels for either very low or very high rates of cross-linking. Aggregation is minimal for very low rates of cross-linking, while very high rates pr