内容简介：

Controlled and consistent fabrication of different classes and shapes of nanostructures will be a requirement if nanotechnology expects to achieve its promised impact on society. One attractive approach towards nanofabrication is to “let nature do it.”  In this talk, I will demonstrate a unique “natural” path to fabricating nanostructures by strain-engineered and nanomechanics-architectured self-assembly of thin films. I will first report the most recent development in the strain-engineered growth of quantum dots on patterned substrates and on freestanding nanomembranes. I will then illustrate the design principles of an emerging novel nanofabrication approach based on the nanomechanical architecture of strained thin films. This approach is completely compatible with the current Si technology. It demonstrates the possibility of fabricating nanostructures with an unprecedented level of control over their size, geometry, and uniformity. It possesses an unparallel level of versatility for making nanostructures with a single material as well as with combinations of different materials. Finally, I will demonstrate some surprising mechanical bending behavior of nanoscale thin films that is qualitatively different from that of macroscopic thick films. In particular, I will show how the atomic-level surface stress dominates over the bulk stress in bending a film that is down to a few nanometers thick.