About Nano- Patterning

Nanolithography is the science and technology of fabricating defined structures on a scale of 1 to 100 nanometers (nm), that is, structures that range from the atomic and molecular to about 1/4 the wavelength of visible light.

This length scale includes both simple inorganic molecules and complex organic molecules, such as DNA, and a wide range of biologically active structures, such as viruses. It is also the common length scale for the transistors used in contemporary microprocessors  and integrated circuits, where the smallest active components are made with structures between 45 nm and 90 nm in size.
One of the most common areas of nanofabrication research is in the integration of biological structures and defined nanopatterned structures. These offer great potential for future biological research and possible medical treatments.

Nanostructures are typically fabricated using a directed energy beam. There are 3 kinds of commonly used beams – electron beams, ion beams, and photon beams. Since almost all micro- and nano-patterning use one of these beams, this gives our conference it’s nick-name – the “3 Beams” conference. However, recent innovations in both nanoimprint lithography and directed self-assembly represent new directions that offer significant advantages over conventional patterning technologies.

For more on nanolithography, visit the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanolithography
and references therein.

For more on photolithography, visit the Wikipedia article: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photolithography
and referenced therein.

For more on lithography in general, visit the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithography