What is Nanotechnology?

[electron123]

There’s a lot of buzz—nanotechnology is “coming soon.” But what is nanotechnology? Why doesn’t anyone ever explain that? Well, it’s not that easy. While experts agree about the size of nanotechnology—that it’s smaller than a nanometer (that’s one billionth of a meter) they disagree about what should be called nanotechnology and what should not. Looking back at the historical roots of nanotechnology helps us get a better grasp on what nanotechnology is and why it’s important now, and how it will change the world in the future.

More details and links at https://electronics88.blogspot.com

 

[sanjiv]

The term "nanotechnology" has evolved over the years via terminology drift to mean "anything smaller than microtechnology," such as nano powders, and other things that are nanoscale in size, but not referring to mechanisms that have been purposefully built from nanoscale components.
Nanotechnology is the creation of functional materials, devices, and systems through control of matter on the nanometer (1 to 100+ nm) length scale and the exploitation of novel properties and phenomena developed at that scale.
A scientific and technical revolution has begun that is based upon the ability to systematically organize and manipulate matter on the nanometer length scale.

Examples of nanotechnology applications:


*giant magnetoresistance in nanocrystalline materials
*nanolayers with selective optical barriers, hard coatings
*dispersions with optoelectronic properties, high reactivity
*chemical and bio-detectors
*advanced drug delivery systems
*chemical-mechanical polishing with nanoparticle slurries
*new generation of lasers
*nanostructured catalysts
*systems on a chip
*carbon nanotube products
*nanoparticle reinforced materials
*thermal barrier
*ink jet systems
*information recording layers
*molecular sieves
*high hardness cutting tools

 

[ng wei]

Nanotechnology has something to do with microelectronic engineering

 

[sankudey]

As per my class teacher's lecture: Nanotechnology could be called if it qualifies two conditions: (1) Size : in nanometer scale (1nm - 100nm) (2) Showing some nano-effects; e.g., quantum-mechanical effects etc.

So, what I wanna say is that not only size nor the property solely qualify for the terminology. While both of them are present, hence, could be called nano-technology.

BTW: why the link given above
<<http://electronics88.blogspot.com/>>

is not working. Giving the following error....

""Not Found

The requested URL was not found on this server. Please visit the Blogger homepage or the Blogger Knowledge Base for further assistance.""


sankudey

 

[k.gurunath]

I think it refers to the size of the gate's in Ic's which are very smaller in order of nano-meters..these r the present days IC's hich we use

 

[guitarfrido]

Nano-technology includes all technologies that aim to create structures in the nanoscale (1nm - 100nm). Above 100 nm you would more often use the term micro-technology. Typical fields of nano-technology include material science (materials that exhibit nano-pattern or nano-structures, nano powders) and live-science, where research on single molecules and their use for medical applications is done. Although microelectronics have reached the nano-scale they are seldom meant by nano-technology, I think.

 

[mkkumar1]

Nanotechnology came into picture after Feynman's famous lecture "There is a lot of room in the bottom". In this he proposed that it is possible to control the placement of each atom/molecule and build structures, which in turn can build bigger structures.

So, nanotechnology at its origin referred to building/controlling structures at atomic level. Now, it has diversified into so many things and the definition is becoming vaguer day by day.

From VLSI sense it can be considered a way of emerging accurate lithographic processes. Placing the dopant at exact locations. Etching accurate lego blocks etc.

Another key thing that is creating some buzz is quantum computing, where we can manipulate the energy levels of atoms and hence store states.

You will get some good pointers in this site...

http://www.unisci.com/nano_seeman.shtml

 

[karn]

Nanotechnology is the design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size on the nanoscale. Eight to ten atoms span one nanometer (nm). A human hair is approximately 70,000 to 80,000 nm thick. Nanotechnology has been put to practical use for a wide range of applications, including stain resistant pants, enhanced tire reinforcement and improved suntan lotion.

Nanotechnology should really be called “nanotechnologies”: There is no single field of nanotechnology. The term broadly refers to such fields as biology, physics or chemistry, any scientific field, or a combination thereof, that deals with the deliberate and controlled manufacturing of nanostructures.The United States' National Nanotechnology Initiative website defines it as follows: "Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications." The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies has developed a plan to address the growing risks associated with nanotechnology, involving the EPA, NIH, NIST and NIOSH.

Nanoscience is the study of phenomena and manipulation of material at the nanoscale, in essence an extension of existing sciences into the nanoscale. Nanoscience is the world of atoms, molecules, macromolecules, quantum dots, and macromolecular assemblies, and is dominated by surface effects such as Van der Waals force attraction, hydrogen bonding, electronic charge, ionic bonding, covalent bonding, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and quantum mechanical tunneling, to the virtual exclusion of macro-scale effects such as turbulence and inertia. For example, the vastly increased ratio of surface area to volume opens new possibilities in surface-based science, such as catalysis.

The ongoing quest for miniaturization has resulted in tools such as the atomic force microscope (AFM) and the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Combined with refined processes such as electron beam lithography, these instruments allow us to deliberately manipulate and manufacture nanostructures. Engineered nanomaterials, either by way of a top-down approach (a bulk material is reduced in size to nanoscale pattern) or a bottom-up approach (larger structures are built or grown atom by atom or molecule by molecule), go beyond just a further step in miniaturization. They have broken a size barrier below which quantization of energy for the electrons in solids becomes relevant. The so-called “quantum size effect” describes the physics of electron properties in solids with great reductions in particle size. This effect does not come into play by going from macro to micro dimensions. However, it becomes dominant when the nanometer size range is reached. Materials reduced to the nanoscale can suddenly show very different properties compared to what they show on a macroscale. For instance, opaque substances become transparent (copper); inert materials become catalysts (platinum); stable materials turn combustible (aluminum); solids turn into liquids at room temperature (gold); insulators become conductors (silicon).

A second important aspect of the nanoscale is that the smaller a nanoparticle gets, the larger its ratio of surface area to volume becomes. Its electronic structure changes dramatically, too. Both effects lead to greatly improved catalytic activity but can also lead to aggressive chemical reactivity.

The fascination with nanotechnology stems from these unique quantum and surface phenomena that matter exhibits at the nanoscale, making possible novel applications and interesting materials.

See also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology

 

[rkenuox_]

The term "nanotechnology" has evolved over the years via terminology drift to mean "anything smaller than microtechnology," such as nano powders, and other things that are nanoscale in size, but not referring to mechanisms that have been purposefully built from nanoscale components.
This is a term refering to a smaller scale technologies,cannot be seen by our naked eyes, a technology that see even atoms.c' )

 

[shaikhsarfraz]

Hi,

As some body in the forum has said that when is Nanotechnolgy coming.
I will like to reply it like "Rome was not bulid in a day".
For every beautiful thing to be created we need time.
Each day we are taking small steps towards what can be called nanotechnolgy.

Nanotechnology came into picture after Feynman's famous lecture "There is a lot of room in the bottom".

The question is that what figure you consider a model as nano : is it 30 nanometer , 10 nanometer or 1 nanometer. Even 10 micron technology can be called 100 nanometer technology.

In VLSI we are gradually moving downscale. Now Intel is working on 32 nanometer nodes.

There are a lot of unseen problems when we go into nanoscale. say for example when we are simulating microchannels for on chip application then due to the dimension roughness plays a vital role in simulating these blocks.
Also when you reach nano scale you have reached to the minimum dimension which one can reach that is the inter atomic distance (i.e about 10 angstrom )

So step by step we are reaching nano scale.

Thanks
Shaikh Sarfraz