Introduction to Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology refers to the manufacturing of materials and devices on the nanometer (nm) scale.  One thing that I have been marveling over for many years is the fact that I routinely discuss timing margins in digital designs in terms of nanoseconds (ns) and more recently picoseconds (ps).  These amounts of time are inconceivable on the human scale of perception.  It is impossible to perceive a ns - humans are limited to perceiving in the ms range.  The same is true of nm - the human eye is limited to perception in the mm range.  The amazing thing about human intelligence is the ability to conceive of these and other abstract concepts and use them to design useful tools that on balance make life easier and better.  Nanotechnology was first mentioned by Richard Feynman in 1959, and carefully defined and expanded by Drexler in the 1990 book, Engines of Creation [1].  The size of atoms is on the nm scale (diameters range from 0.1 nm to 0.5 nm depending on element), so the simplest definition of nanotechnology is the manipulation of individual atoms to make materials and devices that serve a useful purpose.

Products are currently shipping in the electronics industry with CMOS semiconductor chips designed in 90 nm fabrication rules.  The number 90 nm refers to the lithography size, not the actual size of transistors.  I'm not an expert on transistor fabrication, but the actual length and width of the CMOS transistors is not 90 nm and depends on the circuit design.  The ratio of width to length determines the current drive strength of the transistor with larger ratios leading to more current drive. Intel Corporation is one leader in semiconductor manufacturing, and some statistics on their 90 nm process are listed as follows [2]:
  - 50 nm channel length
  - 1.2 nm gate oxide thickness
  - 6 transistor SRAM cell in 1.0 um^2 area
The gate oxide thicnkess dimension already qualifies as nanotechnology, but other transistor dimensions are still microtechnology.  The electronics industry is already facing some nanotechnology challenges.

There are many distinct areas of study for nanotechnology such as nano materials, carbon nanotubes, biological nanotechnology, photonics nanotechnology, and nanoelectronics.  One purpose of this web log is to increase my knowledge and understanding of nanotechnology.  Along with that, I am interested finding investment opportunities in nanotechnology.


[1] Wilson, Mick, Kamali Kannagara, Geoff Smith, Michelle Simmons, and  Burkhard Raguse. 2002. Nanotechnology Basic Science and Emerging Technologies. Boca Raton, FL: Chapman & Hall/CRC.

[2] Bohr, Mark. September 12, 2002. "Intel's 90 nmTechnology: Moore's Law and More." Presented at Intel Developer Forum Fall 2002. San Jose, Ca.