Rapid and Spontaneous Dry Pattern Transfer Enabled by Thermally Shrinkable Polymer

Lithography serves as a foundational process in semiconductor fields, enabling high-resolution patterning and transfer. Among various pattern transfer methods, the lift-off process is widely used owing to its material versatility and etch-free advantages. However, conventional lift-off faces several limitations, including solvent-related environmental concerns, low yield, and poor pattern fidelity. To overcome these challenges, we introduce a solvent-free dry lift-off method based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a functional polymer with a high thermal expansion coefficient. Thermal shrinkage of PVDF under controlled heating and cooling conditions mechanically interlocks with the resist, enabling spontaneous delamination of the resist structure without the need for solvents or mechanical forces. This method achieves 100% yield and rapid fabrication of high-resolution, high-density patterns at the wafer scale. The process is compatible with both photolithography and electron-beam lithography. We further demonstrate its application in multilayer film-based Fabry-Pérot cavity devices, achieving large-area, uniform structural color patterns. This work establishes a scalable, environmentally friendly spontaneous dry lift-off strategy for next-generation sustainable micro- and nanofabrication.