SYMMETRIC BLOCK COPOLYMERS TEMPLATES FOR NANO-LITHOGRAPHIC APPLICATIONS

Nanofabrication has been long characterized by a top-down approach for the definition of small features starting from large pieces of material. In this contest the process of size scaling in microelectronics devices is based on photolithography that is an advanced top-down technology. In order to design integrated circuits with small features with characteristic dimension below 20 nm, a new kind of approach is needed such as the bottom-up one of self-assembly systems. Indeed symmetric block copolymers are able to spontaneously phase separate into ordered nanoscale lamellar pattern, which can be fruitfully implemented into the fabrication of next generation of microelectronics devices. This thesis offers a systematic study of the thermodynamics and kinetics of the self-assembly process of lamellae forming block copolymers in view of their possible exploitation as lithographic materials.