Small Pivots

No one saw it coming. Not the academician working on edge-of-technology research or the far-seeing predictors of dizzyingly alternate futures, such as Heinlein, Asimov or Clarke. Future science historians will likely flag 1959 as the year when our universe changed. This was when Richard Feynman gave his "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" talk at Caltech, during which he stated, "The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom." In his usual quiet way, Feynman had foreseen the coming of molecular engineering, aka nanotechnology.

In researching my article for this month's issue (see "Nanotechnology: Genesis of Semiconductor's Future "), I was privileged to spend time with some of the most original minds of our century. They grace institutions such as the NSF Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing and The New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium (NJNC). They gave me a glimpse into a time (closer than most of us imagine!) where, almost like the legendary alchemists, we will build at the atomic level extraordinary structures that will enable whatever we produce to be stronger, faster and lighter. Maintaining an increasingly high standard of living will no longer require environmental devastation or the consumption of nonrenewable resources. Afflictions like cancer or severe neural damage will receive infallible treatment at the end of a needle that will be the portal through which medical nanotech creations enter our bodies on their life-saving missions.

A company involved in medical applications of nanotechnology is already prepared to do FDA testing for magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with antibodies for breast cancer. These nanoids are injected into the bloodstream, and because the antibodies they carry are very adhesion-specific, thousands will attach to the tumor. When a magnetic field is applied where the tumor is, the nanoids heat up and kill it by raising its temperature. Because the nanoparticles attach solely to the tumor (and its cells are more susceptible to heat damage), only it is affected. No surgery, no chemotherapy, and no more inoperable situations. Those nanoids that do not attach are flushed from the body in a day or two.

The truth is that although some semiconductor engineers like to boast that they have been doing nanotechnology for decades — which is true to a point — we are only getting started. Today's most advanced lithography system operates by moving atoms in enormous resisting multitudes. Nanotechnology will allow us, if needed, to move atoms individually into place.

In view of its promises — some of which are already coming to fruition — it seems strange that our industry does not have a longer-term approach to nanotechnology. While it is true that R&D being done by some companies like IBM and Intel looks beyond 2015 — the time when some predict silicon will finally fall behind Moore's Law — not enough resources are being allocated to its development for manufacturability. By far, the largest part of the industry looks to government funding. This might make sense from a bottom-line point of view, but is insufficient to meet future requirements.

Government funding is excellent for developing basic science; however, we are speaking about manufacturing, and more effort is required on our part to move a developing science into everyday engineering. Most of our large companies tend to sit back and keep an eye on smaller, hungrier companies that might develop an interesting manufacturing process.

A more proactive stance is required, particularly if we hope to retain any technological edge in the United States. Consortia tend to fund organizations they have been funding for a long time, and this tends to perpetuate a tendency to continue travel in the same direction. Nanotech is unique in that — because it is a blend of every science and technology — we still do not know which R&D direction will be best, so this approach is impractical. Remember, until somebody develops something better, all we can do is scale present technology.

An old English saying states, "Great engines turn on small pivots." If we are to provide those "small pivots," the time to invest the effort and resources to learn how to make them in a manufacturable, commercial way is now.