In this article, we report the results of high-energy electron beam (e-beam) irradiation of polymer thin films made of poly(semiperfluoroalkyl methacrylate)s (PR F MAs) and propose plausible chemical reactions that may cause their solubility to change in fluorous liquids. It was observed that the polymer films were converted to a more soluble state under low exposure doses of e-beam, possibly due to main-chain scission. However, the films became insoluble with higher doses of e-beam. Three hypotheses were proposed to explain the reduction in solubility, and we used data from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), and nanoindentation to eliminate the less probable hypotheses. The results derived from e-beam-irradiated thin films of three PR F MAs showed that the radical-related Norrish Type I and II pathways may not be the main decomposition routes. The data also suggested that sufficient scission reactions of the perfluorooctyl moieties of PR F MAs do not occur by e-beam. We therefore assumed that the decrease in solubility of the fluorinated polymers results from intermolecular crosslinking reactions between the free radicals and reactive moieties generated on the perfluorooctyl groups by the e-beam. The unique imaging mechanism of PR F MAs may be developed further to synthesize radiationsensitive materials working under e-beam and extreme ultraviolet (λ = 13.5 nm) lithography conditions for advanced patterning applications.Highly fluorinated polymers have gained attention since the 1930s when Schloffer and Scherer discovered poly (chlorotrifluoroethylene) and Plunkett developed high-molecular-weight poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE). Later, several Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article.

A photolithographic patterning scheme for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) pixels was proposed, requiring highly soluble imaging materials in fluorous solvents.

We report the synthesis, operating mechanism, and application of a copolymer that reveals increasing solubility in fluorous solvents by photolysis. The copolymer, PFBI, was prepared by polymerizing perfluorooctyl methacrylate (FOMA),...

Nowadays, the display industry is endeavoring to develop technology to provide large-area organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels with 8K or higher resolution. Although the selective deposition of organic molecules through shadow masks has proven to be the method of choice for mobile panels, it may not be so when independently defined high-resolution pixels are to be manufactured on a large substrate. This technical challenge motivated us to adopt the well-established photolithographic protocol to the OLED pixel patterning. In this study, we demonstrate the two-color OLED pixels integrated on a single substrate using a negative-tone highly fluorinated photoresist (PR) and fluorous solvents. Preliminary experiments were performed to examine the probable damaging effects of the developing and stripping processes upon a hole-transporting layer (HTL). No significant deterioration in the efficiency of the develop-processed device was observed. Efficiency of the device after lift-off was up to 72% relative to that of the reference device with no significant change in operating voltage. The procedure was repeated to successfully obtain two-color pixel arrays. Furthermore, the patterning of 15 μm green pixels was accomplished. It is expected that photolithography can provide a useful tool for the production of high-resolution large OLED displays in the near future.