Interfacial profiles of mismatched lamellae in thin diblock copolymer films

A number of recent experiments have allowed direct study of diblock copolym er morphology on patterned surfaces. Here we examine, by computer simulatio n, the morphology of a diblock thin film in contact with a substrate having large stripes. The diblock aligns parallel to the surface but is frustrate d at the point where two stripes join. We show here that at the joint one o f the phases is continuous while the other is discontinuous. In the region of the join the lamellae form a kink with a length scale of the same size a s the lamellar period. Within the kink the ordering is suppressed. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)51022-8].