2.1 Introduction
2.2 Instrumentation
2.3 Sample Requirements
2.4 Imaging
2.5 Case Studies
2.6 SEM at Binghamton
2.7 References

4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7

6.1 Intoduction
6.2 STM
6.3 AFM
6.4 Case Study
6.5 SPM at BU
6.6 References

7.1 Thermal Analysis of Materials
7.2 Preparation of Nanofibers
7.3 Nanoindentation Analysis of Materials
7.4
7.5
7.6
7.7

3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7

5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7

I would like to describe a field, in which little has been done, but in which an enormous amount can be done in principle. This field is not quite the same as the others in that it will not tell us much of fundamental physics (in the sense of, ``What are the strange particles?'') but it is more like solid-state physics in the sense that it might tell us much of great interest about the strange phenomena that occur in complex situations. Furthermore, a point that is most important is that it would have an enormous number of technical applications. What I want to talk about is the problem of manipulating and controlling things on a small scale.

Feynman went on to talk of miniaturization on the atomic scale. Talk of hand-held computers and writing letters as small as a micron may have seemed a little far-fetched at the time, but today they have become realities. The field of nanotechnology today has many varied research interests and applications from the electronics of a computer, to miniscule robotic doctors, to the lights that illuminate homes, to creating new super-strong structures.

“Nanotechnology” has become a buzzword in recent years. It is commonly seen as the next big thing in scientific and technological advancement at the beginning of the twenty first century, but many people don’t even know what nanotechnology is. A subcommittee of the NSF on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) defines nanotechnology as:

Research and technology development at the atomic, molecular or macromolecular levels, in the length scale of approximately 1-100 nanometer range, to provide a fundamental understanding of phenomena and materials at the nano-scale and to create and use structures, devices and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small and/or intermediate size (NSET, February 2000)

This site is designed to show some of the different aspects of nanotechnology. There are modules on the various instrumentation and techniques involved in nanotechnology as well as laboratory exercises designed for undergraduate students to demonstrate the application of these techniques to nanotechnology research. This module offers a broad introduction to nanotechnology, with focus sections on nanobiotechnology, nanocomputing, and nanophotonics applications, and includes a glossary of terms to aid students in acquiring the working vocabulary in this dynamic and expanding field.