Abstract: Techniques herein include methods for curing a layer of material (such as a resist) on a substrate to enable relatively greater heat reflow resistance. Increasing reflow resistance enables successful directed self-assembly of block copolymers. Techniques include receiving a substrate having a patterned photoresist layer and positioning this substrate in a processing chamber of a capacitively coupled plasma system. The patterned photoresist layer is treated with a flux of electrons by coupling negative polarity direct current power to a top electrode of the plasma processing system during plasma processing. The flux of electrons is accelerated from the top electrode with sufficient energy to pass through a plasma and its sheath, and strike the substrate such that the patterned photoresist layer changes in physical properties, which can include an increased glass-liquid transition temperature.