Micropatterning of photosensitive sol-gel film containing double-decker-shaped silsesquioxan

The double-decker-shaped silsesquioxane (DDSQ) is a multifunctional silsesquioxane with a wide variety of functional groups. The micropatterning of an organic-inorganic hybrid film consisting of DDSQ silanol (DDOH) which has an open-cage structure with four silanol and eight phenyl groups was achieved using a photosensitive sol-gel system containing a titanium alkoxide modified with β-diketone. Negative patterns with a high-resolution of ca. 1 μm were obtained by UV-irradiation. The micropatetrning can be also achieved by laser-direct drawing using the 248.6-nm line of a Ne-Cu laser, where the laser beam was focused on a DDOH/titanium alkoxide/β-diketone hybrid film using an objective lens and the focal point was scanned by a computer-controlled xyz stage. The hybridization method using metal complexes with β-diketonates also made it possible to incorporate various kinds of metals into silsesquioxane hybrid film and to modify the properties.