Directed self-assembly (DSA) offers a promising route to high-density and ordered line patterns for sub-10-nanometer lithography. However, imperfections in guiding templates pose considerable challenges to practical implementation. Experimental exploration of defect repair is labor-intensive, whereas existing models are often computationally prohibitive or focus on intrinsic defect annihilation pathways that are difficult to translate to process conditions. Here, we present a layer-by-layer simulation framework based on the Ohta–Kawasaki model, motivated by the physical observation that template-induced fields decay progressively along film thickness. By analyzing free energy differences between successive states and morphological evolution, the framework enables rapid evaluation of defect repairability and process-window delineation. The model shows strong agreement with experiments and extends to complex template geometries, including missing lines, misalignments, and DSA-derived templates, demonstrating broad applicability. With substantially reduced computational cost compared to full three-dimensional simulations, this scalable strategy provides a practical tool for template defect analysis and process optimization in advanced DSA-based nanofabrication.
Shang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.