Micro- and nanoscale patterning of luminescent conjugated polymer films

A luminescent conjugated polymer, poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV), has been patterned on a sub-micron scale using a modified scanning force microscope (SFM). By using this technique, it is possible to make non-luminescent patt erns with linewidths down to similar to 20 nm, and this report shows that t he patterning process does not affect the photoluminescence efficiency of t he non-patterned parts of the polymer film. In addition to this, the method used in this work allows for precise control of the patterning, making it possible to create intricate patterns in a neat polymer film.