Dynamics of dislocations in a two-dimensional block copolymer system with hexagonal symmetry

Block copolymer thin films have attracted considerable attention for their ability to self-assemble into nanometre-scale architectures. Recent advances in the use of block copolymer thin films as nano-lithographic masks have driven research efforts in order to have better control of long-range ordering in the plane of the film. Irrespective of the method of sample preparation, different quasi-two-dimensional systems with hexagonal symmetry unavoidably contain translational defects, called dislocations. Dislocations control the process of coarsening in the nano/meso-scales and provide one of the most important mechanisms of length-scale selection in hexagonal patterns. Although in the last decade the nonlinear dynamics of topological defects in quasi-two-dimensional systems has witnessed significant progress, still little is known about the role of external fields on the creation and annihilation mechanisms involved in the relaxation process towards equilibrium states. In this paper, the dynamics of dislocations in non-optimal hexagonal patterns is studied in the framework of the Ohta–Kawasaki model for a diblock copolymer. Measurements of the climb and glide velocities as a function of the wave vector deformation reveal the main mechanisms of relaxation associated with the motion of dislocations.