nanotechnology: The developmentand use of devices that have asize of only a few nanometres. Researchhas been carried out into verysmall components, which depend onelectronic effects and may involvemovement of a countable number ofelectrons in their action. Such deviceswould act much faster thanlarger components. Considerable interesthas been shown in the productionof structures on a molecularlevel by suitable sequences of chemicalreactions. It is also possible to manipulateindividual atoms on surfacesusing a variant of the atomic forcemicroscope.
The technology of devices at the nanometer
scale. In such small devices the quantum
mechanical nature of electrons has to be
taken into account fully. Instruments such
as the ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE which
can identify and manipulate individual
atoms are very useful in nanotechnology.
This involves systems for transforming matter,energy, and information, based on nanometerscalecomponents with precisely defined molecularfeatures. The termnanotechnologyhas alsobeen used more broadly to refer to techniquesthat produce or measure features less than100 nm in size; this meaning embracesadvanced microfabrication and metrology.Although complex systems with precise molecularfeatures cannot be made with existing techniques,they can be designed and analyzed.Studies of nanotechnology in this sense remaintheoretical, but are intended to guide the developmentof practical technological systems.
