Nano Technology
Definition: Nanotechnology is the basis for manufacturing circuits, devices, and structures at dimensions of 100 nanometers (nm) and below. [A nanometer is one billionth of a meter.]
Traditional View of Nano Technology
"Nanotechnology refers to research and technology development at the atomic, molecular, and macromolecular levels aimed at creating and using structures, devices, and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small size." [This is the official definition of the Nanotechnology Standards Panel of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)].
A Different Perspective of Nano Technology
Nanotechnology research can usually be categorized as pertaining to
nanostructures, nanoparticles, or nanomaterials. The interest in
nanotechnology comes, in part, from the fact that materials behave
differently at minute dimensions than the behaviors that are experienced
in the "normal" world. Below 10nm, the melting point of gold diminishes.
With line sizes of less than 40nm, the resistivity of copper is a function
of grain size and boundary conditions. These are but a sampling of the
changes in material properties that occur at nano dimension and one reason
for the excitement about the potential of this technology.