STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION OF POLYSTYRENE NANOSPHERE PRODUCE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE RESISTS BY CONTROLLED LASER EXPOSURE

Abstract

Laser treated polystyrene (PS) thin films were explored for simple, robust, and low-cost polymer based electronic applications. Polystyrene nanospheres of 500 nm were drop coated on silicon wafer before laser treatment was introduced to systematical investigated the structural transformation of treated PS. The relationship between the parameters used and the structural changes of PS, especially for its surface chemistry and the morphological, structural properties were characterized with Attenuated total-reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field emission electron microscopy (FESEM). It was revealed that the morphological changes observed in the laser treated PS films were the dominant factor for the improvement of modified PS that can be used to tailor functional polymer such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), carbonaceous nanostructure, graphene, graphene oxide. Zwitter characteristic of the PS can be clearly observed during laser irradiation; over exposure of laser could be used to tailor different materials on the surface of the PS.