Direct current superposition curing for resist reflow temperature enhancement

A method of curing a layer of material on a substrate, the method comprising:

• receiving a substrate having a patterned photoresist layer, the patterned photoresist layer created from a negative tone developer photoresist;
• positioning the substrate in a processing chamber of a capacitively coupled plasma system;
• treating the patterned photoresist layer with a flux of electrons by coupling negative polarity direct current power to a top electrode of the plasma processing system, the flux of electrons being accelerated from the top electrode with sufficient energy to pass through a plasma and strike the substrate such that the patterned photoresist layer changes in physical properties, wherein the patterned photoresist layer changing in physical properties includes increasing a value of a glass-liquid transition temperature of the negative tone developer photoresist as compared to prior to being treated with the flux of electrons, wherein the glass-liquid transition temperature of the negative tone developer photoresist is increased above 210 degrees Celsius;
• dispensing a block copolymer film on the patterned photoresist layer;
• and
• activating phase-separation of the block copolymer film to form different polymer features, wherein activating phase separation includes heating the substrate to a temperature sufficient to cause copolymers to segregate resulting in the different polymer features self-assembling within the patterned photoresist layer.