from the 1,000,000-dpi dept.
epw wrote in about the "Pick-and-Place" Nanoassembly System that was discussed on Slashdot as "Hubert's Interesting Nanoassembler." Brian Hubert won the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for this invention, as reported by Nando Media/AP. His Úwebsite has good pictures and diagrams. It's not molecular nanotechnology as in precise control of individual atoms, but still seems like an interesting development using atomic force microscopes. Read more for the introductory text from the website. "Unlike the prior art, this system can be used to pattern essentially any type of material. …"
"Using the sharp tip of a silicon cantilever, this nano-assembly machine can pick up a few thousand atoms at a time from a reservoir and discretely assemble them to fabricate structures the size of viruses and proteins. Unlike the prior art, this system can be used to pattern essentially any type of material. Liquids, solids, molecules, metals, nanoparticles, polymers, epoxies, inks, and organics have all been successfully deposited with resolutions up to 1 million dots per inch (dpi). Volumes as small as 10 pico-pico liters (10^-23 L) have been delivered with 10 nm repeatability and 30 nm linewidth. Lasers and electron beam emitters have been integrated with the deposition system, which should enable formation of true three-dimensional nanomachines and devices. It is envisioned that this technology will be particularly useful for the fabrication of ultra-dense gene chips."
