3 ms·
It seems that bonding atoms in 3D using an STM is very difficult, if not impossible. We'll probably have self-assembling molecular processors before then.
by nynx 6y ago
It seems that bonding atoms in 3D using an STM is very difficult, if not impossible. We'll probably have self-assembling molecular processors before then.
- philipswood 6y agoI don't think you'd need to bond them. I imagine you could put down a "wire" of metal atoms without too much trouble. Something like a capacitor shouldn't be too difficult if you could put down a dielectric. Not sure about how to do a transistor - maybe there could be an alternative "switch". Yeah, I'm hand-waving. And maybe the metal substrate an STM uses is a non-starter. But still, atomic precision seems to be in hobbyists reach and I imagine SOME approach to low volume tiny circuits are possible that would not be economically viable in terms of RnD and fab for "big silicon".
- nynx 6y agoOkay. It's probably possible. Hobbyist tooling isn't there yet though. I'm actually developing a DIY atomic force microscope, for other use-cases though. STMs are very limited though. The kinds of atoms you can pick up are pretty limited afaik. Give it a couple of years, maybe 5-10, and there will probably be hobbyists moving atoms around. The industry and academia will, of course, probably be further along.