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Manipulating surfaces with single-atom precision
Scientists at Macquarie University, Australia, discovered a natural phenomenon that shows
how light could be used to pick apart a substance atom by atom, enabling new possibilities for
nanoscale diamond devices.
“Lasers are known to be very precise at cutting and drilling materials on a small scale—less
than the width of a human hair, in fact—but on the atomic scale they have notoriously poor reso-
lution,” explains lead researcher Richard Mildren. “If we can harness lasers at higher resolutions,
opportunities at the atomic level are tremendous, especially for future nanoscale devices in data
storage, quantum computers, nanosensors, and high-power on-chip lasers.”
Traditional lasers that separate materials by super heating the surface at the laser beam’s focal
point have severe limitations especially with regard to fabrication challenges in nanodevices. Mil-
dren and his colleagues discovered that it is possible to remove atoms from a surface, using ultra-
violet lasers, and confine the interaction to the atomic scale. The phenomenon avoids the heat
generation problem that previously restricted making very small and precise cuts.
“So far, we have used the technique to demonstrate structures in diamonds of
roughly 20 nanometers, the size of large molecules,” says Mildren. “However, the
technique looks highly promising to manipulate surfaces with single-atom preci-
sion, more than 10,000 times smaller than what is possible with standard laser
machining techniques.”
www.mq.edu.au.
Researchers at Macquarie University removed atoms from a surface using ultraviolet
lasers and confined the interaction to the atomic scale. Courtesy of Chris Baldwin.
Lockheed Martin,
Bethesda,
Md., received three 2014 Manu-
facturing Leadership Awards for
achievements in advanced manu-
facturing, environmentally friendly
practices, and customer relation-
ships from the Manufacturing
Leadership Council of
Frost &
Sullivan,
San Antonio. Continuous
improvement initiatives resulted
in robotic spray and mold-in-
place automated equipment and
techniques that apply precise
amounts of low-observable ma-
terial on aircraft parts. Another
award-winning production tech-
nique involves machining tita-
nium. Lockheed Martin was a
major developer of cryogenic ma-
chining, which uses liquid nitro-
gen as a coolant to allow tools to
work faster and longer. The new
process also eliminates haz-
ardous waste associated with
conventional coolants.
www.lockheedmartin.com.
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES •
APRIL 2014
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