Holographic atom manipulation at NEC

from the Japan-moves-forward?-downward?-or-is-it-upward? dept.
Senior Associate BrianWang writes: An article at NEC discusses their work on atomic beam holography: "In a recent experiment, the joint research team succeeded in making real-time changes in the patterns of neon atoms by applying a bias voltage to an electrode array controlling the hologram. This experiment was a giant step towards the fabrication of complex, three-dimensional, nanometer-order structures. [emphasis added] The goal of our holographic atom manipulation is the nanofabrication of complex semiconductor structures. The technique will involve directly piling germanium and aluminum atoms on the substrate. In addition to increasing density, the new process will save time by eliminating the resist and etching steps in the lithography process."