Fabrication of SiO2 nano-dots by block copolymer lithography and liquid phase deposition

Block copolymer thin films have been used as templates for the nanopatterning of metallic or semiconducting materials. We demonstrated less than 50 nm nano-dots and successfully reproduced by the novel method using the block copolymer lithography technique and liquid phase deposition (LPD). To fabricate nanoporous films, polystyrene-block-polymethyl methacrylate (PS-b-PMMA) copolymer was used in the optimized process condition because PS-b-PMMA had nanostructures with below tens of nanometer-size. LPD process made possible to deposit silicon dioxide (SiO2) under 50 °C without thermal and plasma damages to the polymer. These methods significantly simplify the generation of 80 nm-height SiO2 nano-dots with high densities over a large area.