HES 6124 – NANO FABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT -2

BY:
AVUDAIAPPAN SANKARAMOORTY(6720684)
JOHNPAUL SRINIVASAN(6910637)
 NANO DEVICES IN ENGINEERING

Introduction

With the advent of Nanotechnology in the early 90’s the scope for various new
applications have emerged in the field of engineering. The bottom up approach in
manufacturing has always been beneficial in manufacturing. But with the ability to take
this approach at the molecular level in manufacturing Nano devices has enabled the
researchers to come up various devices in Nanoscale which are extremely energy
efficient and can perform tasks which where unthinkable in the past. The uniqueness of
the Nanodevices have been their size which is both their advantage and disadvantage.
The ability to manipulate basic mechanical components like gears, bearings, etc at this
scale gives opportunity to manufacture Nanodevices which actually work just like the
normal macro scale devices based on engineering principles.
Nanodevices in this have found path breaking applications in almost all walks of
life. The Engineering field has been able to extract a lot out of this technology.
Nanodevices have indeed provided engineers with a tool of infinite potential. Their major
applications have been found in the fields of Space engineering, electronics engineering,
energy engineering, filtering, ballistics, manufacturing etc. Besides these known fields of
applications the Nanodevices have been under immense research in various other fields
like space elevators, atmosphere purifiers, etc

Nanodevices in Electronics

The very well known application of Nanodevices in the field of electronics and computer
technology is their usage in next generation of flash memory storage devices. The usage
of carbon Nanotubes enables the manufacturing of flash memory devices at the
Nanoscale. These memory devices due to their size are extravagantly energy efficient and
are less error prone than the traditional CMOS devices. These carbon nanotube based
memory devices work on Vanderwalls energy which enable them to retain the data even
when the power is turned off this provides them with the advantage of being Non volatile
memory.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VyTCyizqrHs/SRxKjEq2TRI/AAAAAAAABpc/iQIMLdQH4j
4/s1600-h/dwnt.png

The interesting aspect of these Nano memory storage devices is that at the size of a sugar
cube these can provide the storage many gigabytes of data. The recent research has been
going on in the telescopic properties of the nanotubes which enhances the data storage
abilities of these devices. The Nanodevices have found useful applications in computer
processers (Intel’s Prescott Processor). Due to their extremely small size they can provide
super fast processing speeds. In recent times research has been underway to manufacture
computer circuit boards by using bucky balls or Nano carbon tubes. This can provide
next generation of computers with immense abilities and uncomparable dimensional
advantages.
The other valuable applications of Nanodevices in the field of Electronics have
been in development of nanosensors. The Nanowires which are still very much under
research has opened up opportunities in the field of electronics. These are some of the
very important factors behind Quantum computing and Ultra efficient Nanodevice based
lasers. Quantum computing which was beyond the dreams of computer engineers a
decade ago has become one of the much anticipated fields of research now. This has been
possible because of the application of few Nanodevices like nano flash memory devices
and nano wires which form the base of Quantum circuitry has made this feasible.

Nanodevices in Mechanical engineering

The major concern for the mechanical engineers of all ages has been the the
efficiency of the machines. With the growing energy crisis the energy utilization has
become a very big criterion, at this critical juncture the utilization of Nanodevices came
as a boon. The basic Nanodevices like gears, bearings and mirrors have enabled the
synthesis of many Nanodevices like nano robots.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Fullerene_Nanogears_-_GPN-
2000-001535.jpg

Nanodevices have profound applications in power generation and conduction. Nano

generators which technically work similar to the power generators are more efficient and
cost effective as well. These generators work on the concept of Piezo-Electric effect,
which enables them to convert minor bio-mechanical energy into electric energy. Recent
research by Chinese researchers have bought up a new dye based on nanotechnology
which provides 50% more effective solar cells.

http://esciencenews.com/files/images/200902131130570.jpg

These devises due to their compactness and efficiency play a pivotal role in space
exploration and nano robotics. The use of Nano wires have enabled research on ultra
efficient Laser lights which is both cheap and compact in nature. The Nanodevices which
have extreme durability and strength have allowed them to be used in applications like
Bullet Proof vests, and remote controlled surveillance systems. By using carbon Nano
tubes researchers in University of Technology Sydney have created bullet proof vest
which are as light as the T-shirts and are as capable as the Kevlar vests.

Nanodevices - Other applications

The applications of Nanodevices have been infinite and some of the most
noteworthy ones being in the field of space engineering. Space engineering of all fields is
where most researches take place and it is one of the fields where precision, efficiency
and characteristics of a device play an extraneously significant role. The space travel has
been an issue to human kind due to the expense and sophistications involved. By using
Nanodevices researchers are hopeful of developing a Space Elevator. It is like a normal
elevator which can put human beings in a space station from a docking station on the
ground. This was conceivable thanks to the energy efficient nature of Nanodevices and
compatibility of these devises which is achieved by their biomimmetic tendencies.
Another important application of Nanodevices is in the manufacturing of Filters.
A thin layered filter made of carbon nano particles can filter even viruses from the air.
The American army has provided their soldiers in Afghanistan with Nanodevice enabled
water filters, which convert brine(urine) into pure water. The Nanodevices have been
used as Sniffers to identify weapons of mass destructions and chemical and biological
weapons in hostile territories by the American army.

Conclusion

The word Nanodevices at this juncture is associated with many futuristic

technologies like quantum computing, ultra purifier, Bio mimetic recreator, etc. Though
most of the applications are still in their laboratory stage due to the expensive and
technically complicated manufacturing process, but it looks certain that in near future the
possibility of recreating any thing and everything by using Nanodevices in a bottom up
approach to manufacturing. It is also to be considered that the implications of these
devices on human health and environmental factors are yet to be identified clearly. At
this juncture the scope of Nanodevices as the change in future looks certain
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