Placement and orientation of individual DNA shapes on lithographically patterned surfaces

Artificial DNA nanostructures1,2 show promise for the organization of functional materials3,4 to create nanoelectronic5 or nano-optical devices. DNA origami, in which a long single strand of DNA is folded into a shape using shorter ‘staple strands’6, can display 6-nm-resolution patterns of binding sites, in principle allowing complex arrangements of carbon nanotubes, silicon nanowires, or quantum dots. However, DNA origami are synthesized in...