How hard and costly is it to manufacture a few nanometer-wide substance containing layers?

  • #1
DyerMaker
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How hard and costy is it to manufacture
a layer of substance a few nanometers wide and how useful such structures would be?
 
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  • #2
Can you say more about your question? What kind of material? Silicon?
 
  • #3
berkeman said:
Can you say more about your question? What kind of material? Silicon?
Such materials as metals and metals' oxides
 
  • #4
You mean like nanoparticles?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanoparticle

Well, semiconductors currently have nanometer-size features, and are pretty important (obviously).

Nanoparticles have some interesting applications...

What applications do you have in mind?
 
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  • #5
DyerMaker said:
How hard and costy is it to manufacture a layer of substance a few nanometers wide and how useful such structures would be?
A few nanometres would be something like a dozen atoms thick.
It would be difficult to accurately control the thickness.

Colour-selective mirrors are typically made from thicker coatings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-reflective_coating
 
  • #6
Does Graphene count? It's not a metal, but it conducts electricity and heat as well as metals. There are lots of YouTube videos about making it, like this one:
 
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  • #7
DaveE said:
Does Graphene count? It's not a metal, but it conducts electricity and heat as well as metals. There are lots of YouTube videos about making it, like this one:

This Youtube video reminds me of when I was doing vacuum deposition a few years ago.
 
  • #8
berkeman said:
You mean like nanoparticles?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanoparticle

Well, semiconductors currently have nanometer-size features, and are pretty important (obviously).

Nanoparticles have some interesting applications...

What applications do you have in mind?
I have in mind, first of all, such application as MIM diodes.
 
  • #9
DyerMaker said:
I have in mind, first of all, such application as MIM diodes.
What reading have you been doing about MIM diodes? Has there been recent research and development into them since the initial work a few decades ago?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal–insulator–metal
 
  • #10
If you are talking about thin films that are a few nm thick then they are very, very common, there are lots of cleanrooms that can make such films. Tools such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) systems are very good at making thin insulting films and are widely used in commercial production and often available even in "regular" university cleanrooms.
These films can then be patterned to make very narrow strips; a few tens of nm wide is "easy" using electron beam lithography; structures more narrow than that can be made but the yield does suffer.
 
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1. How hard is it to manufacture nanometer-wide substance containing layers?

Manufacturing nanometer-wide substance containing layers can be extremely challenging due to the precision and control required at such small scales. Specialized equipment and techniques are needed to ensure the layers are uniform and free of defects.

2. How costly is it to manufacture nanometer-wide substance containing layers?

The cost of manufacturing nanometer-wide substance containing layers can be high due to the specialized equipment and materials required. Additionally, the time and expertise needed to develop and optimize the manufacturing process can contribute to the overall cost.

3. What factors contribute to the difficulty and cost of manufacturing nanometer-wide substance containing layers?

Factors that contribute to the difficulty and cost of manufacturing nanometer-wide substance containing layers include the need for precise control over deposition processes, the high purity of materials required, and the challenges of scaling down processes to such small dimensions.

4. Are there any ways to reduce the difficulty and cost of manufacturing nanometer-wide substance containing layers?

Research and development efforts are ongoing to find ways to reduce the difficulty and cost of manufacturing nanometer-wide substance containing layers. This includes developing more efficient deposition techniques, optimizing material synthesis processes, and exploring new materials with properties that facilitate manufacturing at the nanoscale.

5. What are the potential applications of nanometer-wide substance containing layers?

Nanometer-wide substance containing layers have a wide range of potential applications in fields such as electronics, photonics, catalysis, and biomedicine. These layers can be used to create novel materials with unique properties that can be tailored for specific applications, leading to advancements in technology and science.

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