We report the self-assembly of zigzag patterns consisting of aligned carbon nanotubes inside Au microtrenches by chemical vapor deposition using ferrocene/xylene solution as the precursor. The zigzag nanotubes have uniform size and constant interpattern distance, which can be controlled by simply changing the width of the Au trenches. We demonstrated the tunable length and orientation of nanotubes during self-assembly, leading to a predictable motion of zigzag patterns. A growth model was proposed for the zigzag assembly of nanotubes, including the formation and subsequent splitting of an amorphous carbon layer on the pattern top. Rows of nanotube micropatterns regularly distributed along the Au trench are potential candidates as integrated arrays of thermal or mechanical detectors and actuators.