This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a photoresist system that is compatible with a much wider range of materials than traditional photoresists, allowing for the patterning of advanced semiconducting polymers and small molecules on existing photolithographic equipment. Through Phase I project, Orthogonal has improved its fluorinated photoresist system by making two new materials with lower manufacturing cost and enhanced performance. In this Phase II project, the patterning of the widely used conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) and similar acidic materials will be studied. Multiple approaches will be taken to continuously improve the performance of the new photoresist materials. The scalability of one or both photoresist materials to large quantities will be investigated by addressing the major issues that may be challenging to the scale-up, including dealing with heat generation and finding a suitable initiator.

The broader/commercial impacts of this project will be the potential to enable the large-scale manufacturing of organic electronic devices by leveraging the existing photolithographic infrastructure currently used in the industry. The availability of the new photoresist materials in large quantities and consistent quality will help meet the performance and volume demands of organic electronic industry, which is expected to grow rapidly once a scalable and high-yield manufacturing technique is available.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2011-04-01
Budget End
2015-09-30
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$999,631
Indirect Cost
Name
Orthogonal, Inc
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Ithaca
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14850