CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-US"> <head > <meta charset="UTF-8" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /> <meta name='robots' content='index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1' /> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style>  <title>IMM Report Number 1 - Institute for Molecular Manufacturing</title> <link rel="canonical" href="http://www.imm.org/reports/rep001/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="IMM Report Number 1 - Institute for Molecular Manufacturing" /> <meta property="og:description" content="NIST Holds Microsystems/Nanosystems Meeting by J. Storrs Hall Albuquerque, NM 1/21/98: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a meeting of approximately 100 representatives of industry, academia, and research labs to define a new ATP focus on microsystems and nanosystems. The ATP (Advanced Technology Program) is a funding activity by NIST that is […]" /> <meta property="og:url" content="http://www.imm.org/reports/rep001/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Institute for Molecular Manufacturing" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2007-07-23T09:31:57+00:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="http://www.imm.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IMM.gif" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1688" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="833" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/gif" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Est. reading time" /> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="3 minutes" /> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http://www.imm.org/reports/rep001/","url":"http://www.imm.org/reports/rep001/","name":"IMM Report Number 1 - Institute for Molecular Manufacturing","isPartOf":{"@id":"http://www.imm.org/#website"},"datePublished":"2007-07-23T09:26:22+00:00","dateModified":"2007-07-23T09:31:57+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http://www.imm.org/reports/rep001/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http://www.imm.org/reports/rep001/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http://www.imm.org/reports/rep001/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http://www.imm.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"IMM Reports","item":"http://www.imm.org/reports/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"IMM Report Number 1"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http://www.imm.org/#website","url":"http://www.imm.org/","name":"Institute for Molecular Manufacturing","description":"Atomically Precise Manufacturing","publisher":{"@id":"http://www.imm.org/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http://www.imm.org/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"http://www.imm.org/#organization","name":"Institute for Molecular Manufacturing","url":"http://www.imm.org/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http://www.imm.org/#/schema/logo/image/","url":"http://www.imm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-IMM-Logo-300.png","contentUrl":"http://www.imm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-IMM-Logo-300.png","width":300,"height":82,"caption":"Institute for Molecular Manufacturing"},"image":{"@id":"http://www.imm.org/#/schema/logo/image/"}}]}</script>  <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//fonts.googleapis.com' /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Institute for Molecular Manufacturing » Feed" href="http://www.imm.org/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Institute for Molecular Manufacturing » Comments Feed" href="http://www.imm.org/comments/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Institute for Molecular Manufacturing » IMM Report Number 1 Comments Feed" href="http://www.imm.org/reports/rep001/feed/" />     <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"http:\/\/www.imm.org\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.7.2"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <link rel='stylesheet' id='genesis-sample-css' href='http://www.imm.org/wp-content/themes/imm-genesis/style.css?ver=2.6.0' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-block-library-css' href='http://www.imm.org/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css?ver=6.7.2' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='genesis-sample-fonts-css' href='//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Source+Sans+Pro%3A400%2C400i%2C600%2C700&ver=2.6.0' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dashicons-css' href='http://www.imm.org/wp-includes/css/dashicons.min.css?ver=6.7.2' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?ver=3.7.1" id="jquery-core-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js?ver=3.4.1" id="jquery-migrate-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="http://www.imm.org/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="http://www.imm.org/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/29" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="http://www.imm.org/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.7.2" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='http://www.imm.org/?p=29' /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="http://www.imm.org/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imm.org%2Freports%2Frep001%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="http://www.imm.org/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imm.org%2Freports%2Frep001%2F&format=xml" /> <link rel="icon" href="http://www.imm.org/wp-content/themes/imm-genesis/images/favicon.ico" /> <link rel="pingback" href="http://www.imm.org/xmlrpc.php" /> </head> <body class="page-template-default page page-id-29 page-child parent-pageid-28 wp-custom-logo header-full-width content-sidebar genesis-breadcrumbs-hidden genesis-footer-widgets-visible"><div class="site-container"><ul class="genesis-skip-link"><li><a href="#genesis-nav-primary" class="screen-reader-shortcut"> Skip to primary navigation</a></li><li><a href="#genesis-content" class="screen-reader-shortcut"> Skip to main content</a></li><li><a href="#genesis-sidebar-primary" class="screen-reader-shortcut"> Skip to primary sidebar</a></li><li><a href="#genesis-footer-widgets" class="screen-reader-shortcut"> Skip to footer</a></li></ul><header class="site-header"><div class="wrap"><div class="title-area"><a href="http://www.imm.org/" class="custom-logo-link" rel="home"><img width="300" height="82" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-IMM-Logo-300.png" class="custom-logo" alt="Institute for Molecular Manufacturing" decoding="async" /></a><p class="site-title"><a href="http://www.imm.org/">Institute for Molecular Manufacturing</a></p><p class="site-description">Atomically Precise Manufacturing</p></div><nav class="nav-primary" aria-label="Main" id="genesis-nav-primary"><div class="wrap"><ul id="menu-main-menu" class="menu genesis-nav-menu menu-primary js-superfish"><li id="menu-item-224" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-home menu-item-224"><a href="http://www.imm.org/"><span >IMM</span></a></li> <li id="menu-item-223" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-223"><a href="http://www.imm.org/publications/"><span >Publications</span></a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-219" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current-page-ancestor menu-item-219"><a href="http://www.imm.org/reports/"><span >IMM Reports</span></a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-225" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-225"><a href="http://www.imm.org/activities/"><span >Activities</span></a></li> <li id="menu-item-220" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-220"><a href="http://www.imm.org/policy/"><span >Public Policy</span></a></li> <li id="menu-item-226" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-226"><a href="http://www.imm.org/about/"><span >About</span></a></li> <li id="menu-item-222" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-222"><a href="http://www.imm.org/support/"><span >Support Atomically Precise Manufacturing</span></a></li> </ul></div></nav></div></header><div class="site-inner"><div class="content-sidebar-wrap"><main class="content" id="genesis-content"><article class="post-29 page type-page status-publish entry" aria-label="IMM Report Number 1"><header class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">IMM Report Number 1</h1> </header><div class="entry-content"><h2>NIST Holds Microsystems/Nanosystems Meeting</h2> <h3>by J. Storrs Hall</h3> <p><b>Albuquerque, NM 1/21/98:</b> The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a meeting of approximately 100 representatives of industry, academia, and research labs to define a new ATP focus on microsystems and nanosystems. The ATP (Advanced Technology Program) is a funding activity by NIST that is intended to spur the commercialization of advanced technologies by cost-sharing their development where this would be too risky for the private sector alone.</p> <p>The one-day meeting consisted of a series of white-paper presentations, followed by a breakdown into 8 working groups by areas of interest. The purpose of the meeting overall was to define the areas where a focussed program within the ATP would be most promising. Thus white papers had been solicited to propose cases where a moderate research or development effort lay between current practice and useful application. The workshop organizer and facilitator, Jack Boudreaux of NIST, broke the white papers down into categories of commercialization, packaging, nanosystems, infrastructure, optics, and devices; the working groups slightly rearranged this, primarily by way of adding a materials group.</p> <p>The nanosystems group in the breakout included representatives of the Michigan Molecular Institute, Dendritech, the Air Force, Sandia National Labs, Boeing, and Kodak, as well as its chairman, Ken Smith of Rice University, and myself, representing the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing. All of the other groups were fairly strongly focussed on MEMS (micro- electronic and mechanical systems), and our group was challenged to find specifics where existing or near-term nanotechnology could either enhance MEMS or be commercialized on its own.</p> <p>The clearest case for enhancement was in the area of sensors; this forms a major portion of present-day MEMS applications. An example was given in Smith’s white paper, which showed the use of a fullerene nanotube as a scanning probe microscope tip extension. A significantly clearer and more accurate picture is obtained with the nanotube. Another existing enhancement is the addition of molecular constructions with chemical reactivity or specificity for detection, analysis, and filtering.</p> <p>Nanoelectronics received a fair amount of discussion; advantages and applications are fairly straightforward, especially in conjunction with micromachines. Another area seen as promising was the application of micromachined scanning probe technology to mass storage in computers. The provision of a writable substrate for such a device would be an application of near-term nanotechnology.</p> <p>The other main area considered by the nanosystems working group was surface physics and similar cases where macroscopic engineering approximations begin to break down with decreasing scale. A major problem in existing micromachines is the phenomenon of “stiction”, wherein adhesive and frictional forces between touching parts becomes much more significant than in macroscopic machines. Another phenomenon is that at small scales, turbulence in fluid flow disappears and all flow is laminar; this makes it easier to simulate but also means that shapes that would cause fluids to mix at larger scales do not work. It was proposed that nanoscience could help to analyze, and nanostructures to ameliorate, these and similar problems.</p> <p>Most of the working groups, not just the nanosystems one, pointed to the development of software for analysis and design as both an immediate need and opportunity.</p> <p>The Microsystem and Nanosystem focus now faces a standard review process within NIST. If successful, it is projected to come “on-line” in 1999. The technical contact is Jack Boudreaux, boudreaux@nist.gov. He points out that proposals for the area need not wait for the focus program, but can be entered in the general ATP competition immediately. For more information on the ATP in general, see <a href="http://www.atp.nist.gov">http://www.atp.nist.gov</a>, email <a href="mailto:atp@nist.gov">atp@nist.gov</a>, or phone 1-800-ATP-FUND.</p> <p><em><a href="/about/hall/">Dr. J. Storrs Hall</a> is a Research Fellow with the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:josh@imm.org">josh@imm.org</a>.</em></p> </div></article></main><aside class="sidebar sidebar-primary widget-area" role="complementary" aria-label="Primary Sidebar" id="genesis-sidebar-primary"><h2 class="genesis-sidebar-title screen-reader-text">Primary Sidebar</h2><section id="custom_html-3" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><div class="widget_text widget-wrap"><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><div style="background-color:#efefef; padding:20px;"> <h4> Support IMM </h4> <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"><input name="cmd" type="hidden" value="_s-xclick" /> <input name="hosted_button_id" style="border: 0px; width:100%;" type="hidden" value="X9YSVQG57RRV4" /> <input alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" style="border: 0px;" name="submit" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" type="image" /> <img src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></form> </div></div></div></section> <section id="custom_html-2" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><div class="widget_text widget-wrap"><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><div style="background-color:#cfcfcf; padding:20px;"> <h4> Custom Google Search </h4>  <form id="searchbox_003531959495264963058:h-k7rxqoigc" action="http://www.google.com/cse"> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="003531959495264963058:h-k7rxqoigc" /> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:0" /> <input name="q" type="text" size="40" /> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" /> <img src="http://www.google.com/coop/images/google_custom_search_smwide.gif" alt="Google Custom Search" /> </form>   </div></div></div></section> <section id="nav_menu-2" class="widget widget_nav_menu"><div class="widget-wrap"><h3 class="widgettitle widget-title">Related Sites</h3> <div class="menu-related-sites-container"><ul id="menu-related-sites" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-238" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-238"><a href="http://www.foresight.org">Foresight Institute</a></li> <li id="menu-item-237" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-237"><a href="http://www.e-drexler.com">Eric Drexler</a></li> <li id="menu-item-239" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-239"><a href="http://www.merkle.com">Ralph Merkle</a></li> <li id="menu-item-240" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-240"><a href="http://www.rfreitas.com">Robert Freitas</a></li> <li id="menu-item-241" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-241"><a href="http://physics.berkeley.edu/research/zettl">Zettl Research Group</a></li> <li id="menu-item-242" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-242"><a href="http://astro.temple.edu/~meister/Schafmeister_group_website/Welcome.html">Schafmeister Group</a></li> </ul></div></div></section> </aside></div></div><div class="footer-widgets" id="genesis-footer-widgets"><h2 class="genesis-sidebar-title screen-reader-text">Footer</h2><div class="wrap"><div class="widget-area footer-widgets-2 footer-widget-area"><section id="search-2" class="widget widget_search"><div class="widget-wrap"><form class="search-form" method="get" action="http://www.imm.org/" role="search"><label class="search-form-label screen-reader-text" for="searchform-1">Search this website</label><input class="search-form-input" type="search" name="s" id="searchform-1" placeholder="Search this website"><input class="search-form-submit" type="submit" value="Search"><meta content="http://www.imm.org/?s={s}"></form></div></section> </div></div></div><footer class="site-footer"><div class="wrap"><p></p></div></footer></div><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-includes/js/comment-reply.min.js?ver=6.7.2" id="comment-reply-js" async="async" data-wp-strategy="async"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-includes/js/hoverIntent.min.js?ver=1.10.2" id="hoverIntent-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-content/themes/genesis/lib/js/menu/superfish.min.js?ver=1.7.10" id="superfish-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-content/themes/genesis/lib/js/menu/superfish.args.min.js?ver=3.5.0" id="superfish-args-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-content/themes/genesis/lib/js/skip-links.min.js?ver=3.5.0" id="skip-links-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="genesis-sample-responsive-menu-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var genesis_responsive_menu = {"mainMenu":"","menuIconClass":"dashicons-before dashicons-menu","subMenu":"Submenu","subMenuIconClass":"dashicons-before dashicons-arrow-down-alt2","menuClasses":{"combine":[".nav-primary"],"others":[]}}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.imm.org/wp-content/themes/imm-genesis/js/responsive-menus.min.js?ver=2.6.0" id="genesis-sample-responsive-menu-js"></script> </body></html>