The Nanotech Revolution

The Nanotech Revolution (January 2006)
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Good things come in small packages. That, surely, is the mantra of today's researchers working in the nascent field of nanotechnology. What on earth is nanotech, you ask? Well, simply put, it's the science of the small. And chances are, if it hasn't already found its way into your life, it will in the not-so-distant future.

In this compilation of articles published over the past five years, leading authorities trace the steps scientists have taken in ushering us into the nano age--and make predictions about what is to come. Michael Roukes describes the unique mesoscale realm in which nanotechnological devices exist and contends that engineers will not be able to make reliable nanodevices until they understand the physical principles that govern matter there. Peter Vettiger and Gerd Binnig recount their efforts to build the first "nanodrive"--a micromechanical digital storage device with nano-size components. And Nadrian C. Seeman explains how DNA is an ideal molecule for building nano-scale structures that hold molecule-size electronic devices, or guest molecules for crystallography.

Other articles examine the promise of carbon nanotubes, the prospects for self-assembling nanostructures and ways to circumvent the problems inherent in the nanowires that will form the basis for tomorrow's nanocomputing circuitry. --The Editors

Cover; The Nanotech Revolution; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; The Nanotech Revolution; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Plenty of Room, Indeed; The Nanotech Revolution; by Michael Roukes; 6 Page(s)

There is plenty of room for practical innovation at the nanoscale. But first, scientists have to understand the unique physics that governs matter there (originally published in The Edge of Physics)

The Nanodrive Project; The Nanotech Revolution; by Peter Vettiger and Gerd Binnig; 8 Page(s)

Inventing a nanotechnology device for mass production and consumer use is trickier than it sounds (originally published January 2003)

Innovations: Nano Patterning; The Nanotech Revolution; by Gary Stix; 2 Page(s)

IBM brings closer to reality chips that put themselves together (originally published March 2004)

The First Nanochips; The Nanotech Revolution; by G. Dan Hutcheson; 7 Page(s)

As scientists and engineers continue to push back the limits of chipmaking technology, they have quietly entered into the nanometer realm (originally published April 2004)

Nanotechnology and the Double Helix; The Nanotech Revolution; by Nadrian C. Seeman; 10 Page(s)

DNA is more than just the secret of life - it is also a versatile component for making nanoscopic structures and devices (originally published June 2004)

Nanotubes in the Clean Room; The Nanotech Revolution; by Gary Stix; 4 Page(s)

Talismans of a thousand graduate projects may soon make their way into electronic memories (originally published February 2005)

Crossbar Nanocomputers; The Nanotech Revolution; by Philip J. Kuekes, Gregory S. Snider and R. Stanley Williams; 8 Page(s)

Crisscrossing assemblies of defect-prone nanowires could succeed today's silicon-based circuits (originally published November 2005)