About

Figure 1. Outer electron orbitals surrounding the nucleus of a silicon atom.

The concept of the atom (see Figure 1) as the most basic constituent of matter was proposed long ago. The different interactions among atoms and their orientation in space leads to the wide diversity found in nature, from individual molecules to complex organisms. Just beyond the atomic level is the nanoscale, where one can begin to observe the properties we normally associate with everyday materials such as colour, density, strength, texture, viscosity and conductivity.

Nanotechnology is essentially about engineering materials and their properties at these very small length scales (approx. 1–100 nm). As the extent of a material is reduced many of its properties can be dramatically altered and by controlling the size and shape of a structure at the nanoscale, the mechanical, chemical, electrical, optical, etc., properties of materials can be tailored for speciﬁc applications. A now famous lecture by Richard Feynman in 1959 (see below) is often credited with ﬁrst discussing nanostructures and nanotechnology in general highlighting the great potential that exists within nanoscale science and technology. These ideas continue to be developed by us and many others leading to the practical implementation of nanomaterials.

...our research seeks to develop novel applications and study the properties of nanoscale materials and devices.

The study of nanoscale materials now permeates virtually every field of modern science and technology, and yet by most accounts the field of nanoscale science and technology is just in its infancy. Nanotechnology occupies a central role in research and as part of products ranging from consumer electronics and biotechnology to automobiles and aircraft. The field is growing at a rapid pace (several trillion USD market) fueled by a global effort involving governments, academia and industry.

This progress has largely been enabled by advances in nanofabrication, which underpins the application of nanoscale materials and is a major part of our work. Along with using a variety of fabrication tools/methods to control and integrate structures as desired at the nanoscale, our research seeks to develop novel applications and study the properties of nanoscale materials and devices.

References

(Click images for further information)

Plenty of Room at the Bottom

R. P. Feynman, “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”, Meeting of the American Physical Society, 1959. Reprinted: J. Microelectromech. Syst. 1, 60 (1992).

Electronics

C. Papadopoulos, “Solid-State Electronic Devices: An Introduction”, Springer, New York, 2014.

Nanofabrication

C. Papadopoulos, “Nanofabrication: Principles and Applications”, Springer, 2016.