Nanotechnology in Miniaturization: An Emerging Trend to Fabricate Future Devices

Nanotechnology is rapidly growing as a new technology alternative to create advance materials with unique characteristics and performance for vast applications in a range of industrial sectors. In recent years, a number of nanotechnology-based products have appeared in our day-to-today lives. On the other hand, industries have also considered nano-concepts to produce high-added value products with superior capacity, reliability, and efficiency. The field of nanotechnology is one of the most popular areas for current research and development in almost all technical disciplines. This includes miniaturization of microelectronics, nanomedicine, nano-emulsion particles, fuel cell catalysts, self-assembled polymer films, nanofabrication, imprint lithography, and more. This book summarizes recent advances in miniaturization using nanotechnological approaches. The ability to interact with matter at nanoscale has led to the development of nanoarchitecture and nanomaterials which have the capability of exceeding the limits of conventional modalities. This book provides insight into the development and trends which are progressing quickly in the field of nano-miniaturized-based devices and tools.

This book offers an overview of the evolution of miniaturization of engineering systems and devices, which was initiated over one-half century ago. The trend of further miniaturization of devices to the ultimate atomic scale will not only continue, it will become a dominant technological development in the first half of the new century, if not for longer. Such development will require significant changes in every aspect of design and manufacturing, as well as production management over traditional engineering practices. Production of miniaturized device components and engineering systems of micro- and nanoscale is clearly beyond the capability of current machine tools. Manufacturing of nano-scaled devices and components involves isolation, transportation, and re-assembly of atoms and molecules. This nanomachining technology involves not only physical-chemical processes as in the case of microfabrication, but it also involves application and integration of the principles of molecular biology.