CAREER: Molecular Interfacial Engineering for Advanced Applications

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ABSTRACT CTS-9703207 This Career project is an investigation of a variety of material issues associated with the use of high resolution lithographic processes (electron beam writing, extreme UV lithography, and X-ray lithography) to fabricate structures with lateral dimensions less than 100nm. One issues is the determination of the physical properties of thin films of polymers (photoresist), and the diffusion behavior of solvents and other low molecular weight agents in these films in order to develop a more fundamental understanding of current photoresist processing and its limitations_ Another is the development of new polymers for use in extreme UV and x-ray lithography. Some of the work targets new strategies for micro- and nanofabrication that will involve, for example, the use of patterned self-assembled monolayers and/or multiple layer resist systems. A new manufacturing process will be investigated for the efficient integration of dissimilar materials. The process relies on two levels of self-assembly. At the molecular scale, functionalized self-assembled monolayers (SAMS) control wetting and adhesion interactions of surfaces, At the scale of chips, modules, or panels, fluidic self-assembly (enhanced by predetermined interactions between surfaces covered with SAMS) delivers structures of micron dimensions of one material (Si, for example) to as many as 10 million receptor sites on a substrate of another material (plastic, for example). Fundamental studies of the interactions and frictional properties of surfaces modified with SAMs will be made using a modified atomic force microscope (AFM) in which 20 (m glass spheres are attached to the AFM tip. These mesoscale studies will guide the macroscopic process development and will make significant contributions to the field of tribology. The use of non-Fickian diffusion of plasticizers in limited supply will be investigated as a strategy to control the morphology and materials properties of glassy polymers, specifically for opt ical applications. The investigators will fabricate and test the cross-sectional area of transmission is defined by refractive index gradients that correspond to gradients in plasticizer concentration. They will also films fabricate flat diffraction gratings and flat lenses in glassy polymer films using patterned SAMS, preferential wetting, and non-Fickian diffusion. In addition to the optical applications, the proposed research will make significant contributions to our knowledge of non-Fickian diffusion mechanisms in glassy polymers. Through a State Grant of $340,000, the polymer laboratory in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin has recently been renovated with state-of-the-art equipment A unique opportunity exists to develop a polymer laboratory course that emphasizes polymer synthesis and characterization. The lab will be taught to seniors and first year graduate students in two formats: 1) weekly labs and lab reports, and 2) semester long group projects that are consistent with the teaching methodology of problem based learning. This laboratory course will compliment a lecture course in polymer science and technology. At the graduate level, a new course in the physical chemistry of polymers will be introduced. These curriculum improvements are synergistic with our educational and research initiatives to offer research activities at the undergraduate level, to prepare and mentor graduate students to perform innovative research in the field of polymers, and to unite the polymer community on campus. The investigator will also develop a short course to be offered during the summer primarily for scientists