High aspect ratio surface relief structures by photoembossing

Journal Article · Mon Oct 22 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2799744· OSTI ID:21013751

Hermans, Ko; Wolf, Florian K; Perelaer, Jolke; Janssen, Rene A. J.; Schubert, Ulrich S; Bastiaansen, Cees W. M.; Broer, Dirk J ^[1]

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1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands)

Photoembossing is a convenient and economical process to form complex surface relief structures in polymer thin films. We have improved the aspect ratio of photoembossed microstructures by adding t-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) to the polymerization mixture. The mechanism that is proposed is based on the radical transfer principle, where TBHQ converts acrylate radicals into stable phenol radicals that at elevated temperatures act as latent initiators, thereby controlling the kinetics without changing the number of polymerization active sites. As a result, the aspect ratio can be improved with a factor of 5-7 in comparison with previously proposed similar processes.

• OSTI ID: 21013751
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 91, Issue 17; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2799744; (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ACRYLATES
ASPECT RATIO
MICROSTRUCTURE
PHENOL
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
POLYMERIZATION
POLYMERS
RADICALS
THIN FILMS