  We use computer simulation to study the layer-by-layer growth of particle
structures in a lattice gas, taking the number of incorporated vacancies as a
measure of the quality of the grown structure. By exploiting a dynamic scaling
relation between structure quality in and out of equilibrium, we determine that
the best quality of structure is obtained, for fixed observation time, with
strong interactions and far-from-equilibrium growth conditions. This result
contrasts with the usual assumption that weak interactions and mild
nonequilibrium conditions are the best way to minimize errors during assembly.
