Edward E. Sampson (1934-2019).

Presents an obituary for Edward E. Sampson (1934-2019). Sampson was a brilliant critical psychologist and social commentator.

Effect of temperature on the morphology and kinetics of surface pattern formation in thin block copolymer films.

Hole formation and growth on the top layer of thin symmetric diblock copolymer films, forming an ordered lamellar structure parallel to the solid substrate (silicon wafer) within these films, is investigated as a function of time (t), temperature (T), and film thickness (l), using a high-throughput experimental technique. The kinetics of this surface pattern formation process is interpreted in terms of a first-order reaction model with a time-dependent rate constant determined uniquely by the short-time diffusive growth kinetics characteristic of this type of ordering process. On the basis of this model, we conclude that the average hole size, lambda(h), approaches a steady-state value, lambda(h)(t-->infinity) identical with lambda(h,infinity)(T), after long annealing times.