Transcript 8. What are its costs & benefits? You are here 5. How does it change? 1.

8. What are
its costs &
benefits?
You are here
5. How does
it change?
1. What is it?
9. How do we
evaluate it?
6. How does
it change us?
2. Why do we
use it?
7. How do we
change it?
3. Where
does it come
from?
0. Introduction
4. How does
it work?
Where does nanotechnology
come from?
• Other technology
• Dense population
• Specialization
• Plan or accident
• Protection
Other technology
1. Conceptual:
Feynman “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”
T4 Bacteriophage 200 nm
Drexler Like the machines we know, but smaller (other
phages 24 – 200 nm)
Bio-inspiration Viruses make fine nanobots and cells are good
molecular assemblers
2. Physical:
Tools: electron microscopes, nanomanipulator (STM),
nanotweezers (nanotube chopsticks)
Processes: plasma arcing, vapor deposition, ball milling, selfassembly, nano-lithography
Dense population
1.
Physical:
Universities
Research Labs
Regions: e.g. Silicon Valley, Japan
2.
Virtual:
Foresight Nanotech Institute
nanoSIG
Nanotechnology Now
Specialization
1.
Physics
Forces and mechanics, manipulation of atoms (bottom-up)
2.
Chemistry
Bonding and reactivity of atoms
3.
Biochemistry
Protein folding and interaction (self-assembly)
4.
Computer science
Simulation of structures of molecules
5.
Electrical engineering & mechanical engineering
Lithographic production (top down)
Specialization
Nanotechnology timeline from Nanotechnology: Towards a Molecular Construction Kit
executive summary at publisher's web site http://www.stt.nl/textE/sv60.htm
Plan or accident
1.
Plan
Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
http://hansmalab.physics.ucsb.edu/development/background.html
2.
Accident
Buckminsterfullerene (1985, Nobel Prize)
Protection
1.
Nearly 4000 nanotechnology patents awarded in
US
* related to research and technology development at the atomic, molecular or
macromolecular levels, in the length of scale of approximately 1-100 nanometer range in
at least one dimension, and
* that provide a fundamental understanding of phenomena and materials at the
nanoscale and to create and use structures, devices and systems that have novel
properties and functions because of their small and/or intermediate size.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Broad vs. narrow patents
Justifies large, long-term investments
Overlapping patents (non-standard terminology)
Patent squatting or “toll booths” on building block
technologies
Protection