Nanostructures with long-range order in monolayer self-assembly.

A key ingredient for continued expansion of nanotechnologies is the ability to create perfectly ordered arrays on a small scale with both site and size control. Self-assembly-i.e., the spontaneous formation of nanostructures-is a highly promising alternative to traditional fabrication methods. However, efforts to obtain perfect long-range order via self-assembly have been frustrated in practice as ensuing patterns contain defects. We use an idea based on the fundamental physics of pattern formation to introduce a strategy to consistently obtain perfect patterns.