manufacturers want to continue to put more and more circuits on their chips,
- 6 - OMI(622--6)they need to find a way of making
the light beam they use narrower. The
narrower the light, the smaller the circuit that is printed and hence, more
circuits can be fitted onto a tiny piece of silicon. However, current technology
cannot print lines narrower than 0. 1 micron (one tenth of a millionth of a
meter). In other words, when the limit of 0. 1 micron is reached, chip
technology will have come to its physical limit. In the semiconductor industry,
this limit is known as "the wall."
So, what is the solution to these technological' problems? Perhaps the most
exciting alternative comes in the form of nanotechnology. Basically,
nanotechnology will allow humans to control matter on a tiny scale. The
smallest possible scale is the atomic level and if humans could control atoms
we would be able to make incredibly small chips and computers. This is what
nanotechnology is all about: the control of matter at the atomic level.
In 1981 IBM took the first practical step toward making nanotechnology a
reality by making a new microscope. The microscope was so powerful it
allowed researchers to see atoms and molecules for the first time. Scientists
had talked and written about working at this atomic level before, but they had
to wait until IBM's invention to make it possible. Now that scientists can see
at this atomic level it may be possible to control atoms, move them around and
build products from the atomic level. This would allow humans to make
virtually perfect materials and products, atom by atom. Many scientists