Self-Assembly and Self-Assembled Monolayers in Micro- and Nanofabrication

Despite the extraordinary success of current techniques for microfabrication, new techniques are needed. One reason is scale: optically based lithography is reaching the lower limits for the size of features it can produce (˜100 nm). Another is efficiency: methods such as electron beam lithography are presently linear processes and will require significant development if they are to be used for large scale, high volume processing. Other considerations such as capital and processing costs, waste management, environmental concerns, and the degree of perfection of the final structures may also force the development of new methods for microfabrication.