Thinking Small: An Introduction to Nanotechnology Patrick Pilarski 3 rd June 2005

2 Thinking about Shrinking How tiny are these things? Getting small: Microtechnology Some Micro-motion examples How do we build and power them? Getting smaller: Nanotechnology The worlds smallest motors Borrowing from biology Bottom-up assembly

3 An Idea of Scale: Micro Features much smaller than a millimetre Complex machines on the head of a pin 1000 microns = 1 millimetre Picture Courtesy: Dalhousie MEMS Research Group micron.me.dal.ca

4 An Idea of Scale: Nano 1 nanometre is one-billionth of a metre! Approximately 10 atoms placed in a line 1/100,000 th the width of a human hair 1000 nanometres = 1 micron Picture Courtesy: Micralyne Inc.

5 What is Microtechnology? MEMS: Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems Features on the scale of microns First commercial MEMS device: An airbag acceleration sensor Courtesy: LucentCourtesy: Analog Devices

6 Micro-Movement? We can use comb drives! Voltage makes combs to attract or repel Courtesy: Micralyne Inc. Holly Rourke

7 Micro-Tweezers Comb drives move the pincers! Courtesy: Micralyne Inc.

8 Tiny Gears MEMS gears allow the platform to spin Do dust mites get motion sickness? Courtesy: Sandia

9 How do we build MEMS? A top-down approach: Depositing and eroding (etching) layers Deposit Metal Deposit “Filler” Etch Diagrams Courtesy of: Holly Rourke

10 Building an Optical Switch Add Structure Etch Out Filler Diagrams Courtesy of: Holly Rourke Light Beam

11 What is Nanotechnology? On the scale of 1 to 100 nanometres Material properties and manufacturing VERY different at small scales! Is it: Physics? Chemistry? Biology? Courtesy: Dr. K. Namba, Osaka University

12 A new kind of steel Carbon Nanotubes! 100 times stronger than steel, 1/5 the weight Courtesy: Smalley Researchgroup,

13 Nanomotors The rotor is 300 times smaller than the width of a human hair! Uses a nanotube as an axel 300 nm MWNT shaft Au rotor Pictures Courtesy: Zettl Reseach Group, UC Berkeley, California

14 Biomolecular Propellors Use self-assembly to create bio-motors Add ATP and the rotor spins the beam! Pictures Courtesy: Montemagno Research Group, Cornell (published in Science, November 24th, 2000)

15 Bottom-up Assembly! c c 12 3 Example: Building a “nano- bridge” with bump-and-stick reactions Like putting together a jigsaw puzzle by shaking the table

16 Building Organic Motors Pictures Courtesy: Dr. K. Namba, Osaka University,

17 Thoughts to leave with… Microtechnology is currently used in many commercial applications! Airbags, telecommunications, computers Nanotechnology has already made great leaps towards tiny moving things Molecular motors, powered by our body Super-strong structures of carbon tubing Manufacturing and even physical laws are VERY different “down there”