April 11, 2001

Self-organizing physical systems are attractive for technology applications, because they provide a means to precisely engineer nm-scale structures over large wafer areas.  We will discuss different self-assembling systems, each of which we use to fabricate functional nanostructures.  The first system is an assembly of monodisperse cobalt nanocrystals.  The nanocrystal uniformity allows them to self-organize into two- or three-dimensional arrays when deposited from solution onto a substrate.  We describe low-temperature electrical characteristics of this new form of crystalline material, which has monodisperse magnetic nanocrystals as its fundamental building-block.  A second useful self-organizing system is a diblock copolymer thin-film, from which we produce ordered nanometer-scale templates over large areas.  Control of surface interactions facilitates self-assembly of the copolymer film into an ordered hexagonal array of PMMA cylinders in a matrix of polystyrene. The degree of precision introduced via self-assembling systems enables technologies with critical dimensions below lithographic limitations.