Making use of all of the above analysis, we can define a single FOM that can be used to identify the optimal SVA conditions for producing BCP dot arrays for bit-patterned media. The FOM we choose is simply the defect distance, modified by the fraction of single layers, as we need to proportionally reduce the effective defect distance to account for the fact that non-single layer regions have a 100% defect density. A map of this FOM is shown in Figure , which is the product of the defect distance (Figure ) and fraction of single layer (Figure ). It is noted that the optimal FOM does not correspond to either the optimal defect distance or single layer fraction regions, but is rather the intersection of these two regions. This conclusion highlights the tradeoff between single layer fraction and defect distance: at lower swelling degrees there is a large region of near 100% single layer, but the defectivity is much worse compared to that observed at higher swelling degrees. At higher swelling degrees, however, the decrease in defectivity is offset by a reduction in the number of single layers. This leads to a relatively narrow region of SVA conditions with the optimal FOM, which is located between a swelling degree of 1.9 to 2.0 and an initial film thickness of 28 to 30 nm. These conditions are clearly specific to this BCP with this molecular weight, but the methods presented here are completely general and can be utilized for different BCPs. and still perform the ML fitting to identify regions of interest with a high FOM. These regions could then be further sampled using DOE+ML in an iterative fashion. Furthermore, once the first round optimization is done to identify these promising regions, even greater FOMs could be achieved if the annealing time was investigated in these regions, as longer annealing times will likely reduce defectivity in the films.