[en] Lithography at 157 nm using F₂ laser is the next step after 193 nm for ULSI fabrication with dimensions below 50 nm. However, there are problems related to the development of the 157 nm technology, the most important being the design of photoresists with suitable absorption at 157 nm and low outgassing. On the other hand, high-resolution capabilities of resist depend on the surface roughness and its modification following 157 nm illumination of the resist. In this communication, a copolymer of ethyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (ethyl-POSS) and tert-butyl methacrylate (TBMA) was evaluated for surface homogeneity, before and after exposure to 157 nm at different concentrations of the homopolymers. Surface roughness depends on the chemical composition of the resist, and atomic force microscope (AFM) images of exposed areas indicate accumulation of matter at the edge of the boundaries between exposed and non-exposed areas

[en] General properties and recent developments in the field of nematic colloids and emulsions are discussed. The origin and nature of pair colloidal interactions in the nematic colloids are explained and an overview of the stable colloidal 2D crystalline structures and superstructures discovered so far is given. The nature and role of topological defects in the nematic colloids is discussed, with an emphasis on recently discovered entangled colloidal structures. Applications of inverted nematic emulsions and binding force mechanisms in nematic colloids for soft matter photonic devices are discussed. (topical review)

No abstract available

[en] The mechanical properties of TiO₂-derived nanoribbons were investigated by using a three-point bending method. Thin nanoribbons (cross-section dimension ∼30 nm) have an average Young's modulus of 260 ± 55 GPa. For thicker nanoribbons, which are composed of several thinner nanostrips, the bending modulus rapidly decreases with increasing cross-section. In analogy with carbon nanotube ropes we argue that shear deformations become important and the shear modulus is G = 0.07-0.4 GPa. The present results together with our previous work suggest that TiO₂-derived nanoribbons and nanotubes may undertake a dual function in polymer composites: they could reinforce the polymer matrix while at the same time they could provide a large active surface area

[en] We have studied the low-temperature processing of ZnO by chemical solution deposition. A transparent, stable precursor solution prepared from zinc acetate dihydrate dissolved in 2-methoxyethanol was spin-coated on SiO_x/Si, soda-lime glass and polymer substrates and heated at 150 ^oC. Selected thin films deposited on SiO_x/Si were additionally heated at 450 ^oC. Microstructural and chemical analyses showed that the thin films heated at 150 ^oC in air were amorphous, contained no organic residues and had a root mean square roughness of 0.7 nm. The films deposited on SiO_x/Si and heated at 450 ^oC were crystallised and consisted of randomly oriented grains with a diameter of about 20 nm. All thin films were transparent, exhibiting a transmission of over 80% in the visible range. The resistivity of the 120-nm thick ZnO films processed at 150 ^oC was 57 MΩ cm and upon heating at 450 ^oC it decreased to 1.9 kΩ cm.