One-step photoembossing for submicrometer surface relief structures in liquid crystal semiconductors.

Liedtke, Alicia; Lei, Chunhong; O'Neill, Mary; Dyer, Peter E; Kitney, Stuart P; Kelly, Stephen M · ACS Nano · 2010

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We report a new single-step method to directly imprint nanometer-scale structures on photoreactive organic semiconductors. A surface relief grating is spontaneously formed when a light-emitting, liquid crystalline, and semiconducting thin film is irradiated by patterned light generated using a phase mask. Grating formation requires no postannealing nor wet etching so there is potential for high-throughput fabrication. The structured film is cross-linked for robustness. Gratings deeper than the original film thickness are made with periods as small as 265 nm. Grating formation is attributed to mass transfer, enhanced by self-assembly, from dark to illuminated regions. A photovoltaic device incorporating the grating is discussed.

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