Nanotechnology

ALSO CALLED: Nano Technology
DEFINITION: Nanotechnology, or, as it is sometimes called, molecular manufacturing , is a branch of engineering that deals with the design and manufacture of extremely small electronic circuits and mechanical devices built at the molecular level of matter. The Institute of Nanotechnology in the U.K. expresses it as "science and technology where dimensions and tolerances in the range of 0.1 nanometer (nm) to 100  … 
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NANOTECHNOLOGY DEFINITION (continued): …  nm play a critical role." Nanotechnology is often discussed together with micro-electromechanical systems ( MEMS ), a subject that usually includes nanotechnology but may also include technologies higher than the molecular level.There is a limit to the number of components that can be fabricated onto a semiconductor wafer or "chip.". Traditionally, circuits have been etched onto chips by removing material in small regions. However, it is also possible in theory to build chips up, one atom at a time, to obtain devices much smaller than those that can be manufactured by etching. With this approach, … 
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