New Epitaxial Phase Transition between DG and HEX in PS-b-PI

Abstract

We investigated the epitaxial phase transition from double gyroid (DG) to hexagonally packed cylinder (HEX) phases of a polystyrene-b-polyisoprene diblock copolymer in a thin film on a Si wafer substrate. The internal structure of the thin film was investigated by grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and transmission electron microtomography (TEMT). TEMT allows observation of the 3D-image of coexisting DG and HEX directly. Good domain orientation in the thin film and direct 3D-imaging of TEMT made it possible to observe the coexisting phase of DG and HEX, and a new epitaxial transition path from DG to HEX was found.