View article

This report describes the design and synthesis of a series of lamella‐forming, silicon‐containing block copolymers (Si‐BCPs) and evaluation of these materials as potential candidates for lithographic applications. The interaction parameter χ of each Si‐BCP is measured by both the mean‐field theory predicted order‐disorder transition and by analysis of X‐ray scattering profiles. The introduction of more‐polar methoxy and less‐polar methylsilyl moieties increases χ to about 2–3 times that of the reference material, poly(styrene‐block−4‐trimethylsilylstyrene). The incremental increases appear to be essentially additive in this family of block copolymers, suggesting that improvements in χ can be predicted from appropriate monomer choice. Perpendicularly oriented thin‐films of the ordered Si‐BCPs generated by thermally annealing between two “neutral” polymeric surfaces and developed by etching on commercial …