Nanolithography
is the art and science
of etching,
writing, or printing at the microscopic level, where the dimensions of
characters are on the order of nanometers.
This includes various methods of modifying semiconductor chips at the atomic level for
the purpose of fabricating integrated circuits (ics). Instruments
used in nanolithography include the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) and
the atomic force microscope (AFM). Both allow surface viewing in fine detail
without necessarily modifying it. Either the STM or the AFM can be used to
etch, write, or print on a surface in single-atom
dimensions.
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