| Posted: June 19, 2009 |
Building machines, structures and tools in the invisible world of the nanoscale |
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(Nanowerk News) Tiny nanobots and machines which heal your body may only exist in science
fiction and movie scenes, but for IMRE and CNRS researchers who have
been working together on atomic-scale technology, the impact is very real.
Their research paves the way for the manipulation of atoms and molecules to
build molecule machines and devices.
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The idea might be simple but turning it into reality requires precise
manipulation of an individual molecule, a single atom and a metallic cluster in
the order of picometers (one-trillionth of a meter) - a feat that only a few in the
world have achieved. Led by Prof Christian Joachim from CNRS, the
researchers used a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) to build and
manipulate atoms and molecules one at a time at a minuscule scale that is
practically invisible.
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| 3D rendered image of discrete gold atoms arranged to spell out the letters IMRE
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“As the size of devices shrink, there will be a point when devices cannot be
built any smaller using conventional fabrication methods”, explains Prof
Joachim.
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“We have already successfully manipulated atoms into a specified pattern to
construct atomic wires, which are one metal atom in width. This marks the first
step towards building more complex atomic scale quantum electronics circuits
and ultimately molecule-machines”, adds Dr Carlos Manzano, an IMRE
research engineer, showing a 3D rendered image of discrete gold atoms
arranged to spell out the letters ‘IMRE’ with only 51 atoms.
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One of the most important uses for this technology is in computer chips. As it
becomes technologically feasible to build structures atom-by-atom, logic gates
could be packed neatly into tiny processors the size of a molecule, vastly
increasing computing power. Data storage capacity could be multiplied by
factors of a million or more in the same way.
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“With our STM, we have now succeeded in imaging molecular orbitals, which
is another important step towards the ability to build molecule-machines” adds
Prof Joachim.
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Prof Christian Joachim is one of the world’s leading nanotechnology experts.
With two Feynman Prizes – an annual award given by the Foresight Nanotech
Institute for significant advancement in nanotechnology - to his name, Prof
Joachim has been working with a multinational research team from IMRE
since 2005 under the A*STAR Visiting Investigator Programme. This
programme brings in renowned scientific experts from around the world to
Singapore to help seed leading edge R&D programs.
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His link to Singapore dates back to 1980 when he was attached to the French
embassy here and taught at the Singapore Polytechnic for a year, as part of
his French National Service. It was during this time that he started work on
molecular electronics, a little known field of research that holds the key to
reducing the size of electronics to the atomic scale.
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Prof Joachim is proud to present his new book entitled, “Nanoscience: The
Invisible Revolution”, where he provides a scientific and historical perspective
on nanosciences and molecule machines. The official launch of the book is 10
June 2009.
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About the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE)
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Established in September 1997, IMRE has built strong capabilities in materials
analysis, characterisation, materials growth, patterning, fabrication, synthesis and
integration. IMRE is an institute of talented researchers equipped with state-of-the-art
facilities such as the SERC Nanofabrication and Characterisation Facility to conduct
world-class materials science research. Leveraging on these capabilities, R&D
programmes have been established in collaboration with industry partners. These
include research on organic solar cells, nanocomposites, flexible organic lightemitting
diodes (OLEDs), solid-state lighting, nanoimprinting, microfluidics and next
generation atomic scale interconnect technology.
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