Northwestern University engineers have precisely aligned multiple types of molecules on a silicon surface to achieve patterning on a scale 10,000 times smaller than that of microelectronics at room temperature.

The nanofabrication process, called multi-step feedback-controlled lithography, works at room temperature and on silicon, which suggests that it can be made compatible with conventional silicon microelectronics. Previously the researchers were working with single types of molecules: with the new process, more complex structures can be built.

Northwestern University news release