Self-organized nano-lens arrays by intensified dewetting of electron beam modified polymer thin-films

Sub-100 nm polymeric spherical plano-convex nano-lens arrays are fabricated using short electron beam exposures to selectively modify the ultrathin (<30 nm) polymer films, followed by their intensified self-organized dewetting under an aqueous–organic mixture. A short exposure to e-beam locally modifies the polymer chains to effectively change the viscosity of the film in small domains, thus bringing in the dynamical dewetting contrast in the film that produces aligned and ordered dewetted nanostructures. Both negative and positive e-beam tone polymers are thus used to produce an array of nano-lenses. The intensified self-organized dewetting under a water–organic solvent mixture overcomes the limitations on surface tension and dewetting force and thus facilitates the formation of sub-100 nm diameter polymer nano-lenses of tunable curvature. By varying the extent of e-beam exposure, various configurations from isolated to connected nano-lens arrays can be fabricated