Process for preparing a patterned continuous polymeric brush on a substrate surface

US6423465B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignees

• International Business Machines Corporation · US
• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US

Inventors

• Craig J. Hawker · Los Gatos, US
• James L. Hedrick · Pleasanton, US
• William D. Hinsberg · Fremont, US
• Marc Husemann · Hamburg, DE
• Michael Morrison · Tempe, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 28, 2000
• Grant date: Jul 23, 2002
• Expiry date: Jan 28, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G03F7/165
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method is disclosed for preparing a patterned continuous polymeric brush on a substrate surface. The method generally involves functionalization of the substrate surface followed by surface-initiated polymerization at the initiation sites so provided, e.g., using a living free radical polymerization technique or the like, whereby a covalently bound continuous polymeric brush results, with acid-labile groups present throughout. An acid is then applied to the continuous polymer brush in a predetermined pattern, under conditions that result in removal of the acid-labile groups in at least one first region of the continuous polymer brush but not in at least one second region of the continuous polymer brush. In a preferred embodiment, the acid is a photogenerated acid resulting from imagewise irradiation of a photoacid generator applied as a film or coating to the surface-bound polymer brush.