Photoinduced Crystal-to-Liquid Phase Transitions of Azobenzene Derivatives and Their Application in Photolithography Processes through a Solid–Liquid Patterning

The direct and reversible transformation
of matter between the
solid and liquid phases by light at constant temperature is of great
interest because of its potential applications in various manufacturing
settings. We report a simple molecular design strategy for the phase
transitions: azobenzenes having para-dialkoxy groups
with a methyl group at the meta-position. The photolithography processes
were demonstrated using the azobenzene as a photoresist in a single
process combining development and etching of a copper substrate.