The directed self-assembly (DSA) method of patterning for microelectronics uses polymer phase-separation to generate features of less than 20nm, with the positions of self-assembling materials externally guided into the desired pattern. Directed self-assembly of Block Co-polymers for Nano-manufacturing reviews the design, production, applications and future developments needed to facilitate the widescale adoption of this promising technology.

Beginning with a solid overview of the physics and chemistry of block copolymer (BCP) materials, Part 1 covers the synthesis of new materials and new processing methods for DSA. Part 2 then goes on to outline the key modelling and characterization principles of DSA, reviewing templates and patterning using topographical and chemically modified surfaces, line edge roughness and dimensional control, x-ray scattering for characterization, and nanoscale driven assembly. Finally, Part 3 discusses application areas and related issues for DSA in nano-manufacturing, including for basic logic circuit design, the inverse DSA problem, design decomposition and the modelling and analysis of large scale, template self-assembly manufacturing techniques.