Nanotechnology at IBM Research

IBM marks three decades of nanotechnology leadership. Two milestone IBM inventions—the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) in 1981 and the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) in 1986—provided researchers around the world with the specialized tools they needed to explore the nano-cosm and manipulate materials at the atomic level for the first time.

For more than seven decades, IBM Research has defined the future of information technology with more than 3,000 researchers in 12 labs located across six continents. Scientists from IBM Research have produced six Nobel Laureates, 10 U.S. National Medals of Technology, five U.S. National Medals of Science, six Turing Awards, 19 inductees in the National Academy of Sciences and 20 inductees into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame. For more information about IBM Research, visit www.ibm.com/research.

1982-09-30 00:00:00

Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)

IBM scientists at IBM Research – Zurich invent the STM, giving ready access for the first time to the nanoscale world of individual atoms and molecules on electrically conducting substrates.

1985-12-05 08:20:15

Invention of the Atomic Force Microscope

The AFM was first published on 3 March 1986 in the peer-review journal Physical Review Letters with the simple title “Atomic Force Microscope.” The invention combined the principles of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and the stylus profilometer to detect atomic resolution.

1986-10-14 00:00:00

Nobel Prize for Physics

IBM scientists Gerd K. Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer receive the Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the STM.

1988-04-05 02:16:55

Measuring Photon Emission at the Nanoscale

IBM scientists observe photon emission from local nanometer-size areas stimulated by a scanning tunneling microscope, allowing phenomena such as luminescence and fluorescence to be studied on the nanometer scale.

1989-09-28 02:16:55

Atom Manipulation: The Smallest IBM Logo

IBM Fellow Don Eigler is the first to controllably manipulate individual atoms on a surface, using the STM to spell out "I-B-M" by positioning 35 xenon atoms and, in the process, creating perhaps the world’s smallest corporate logo.

1991-08-15 02:16:55

Atomic Switch

IBM scientists demonstrate an atomic switch, a significant milestone on the road to the eventual design of electronic devices of atomic dimensions.

1991-11-07 02:16:55

Discovery of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Scientists at IBM and NEC independently discover single-wall carbon nanotubes and the methods to produce them using metal catalysts.

1996-01-12 02:16:55

Atom Manipulation at Room Temperature

For the first time, scientists at IBM Research - Zurich have succeeded in moving and precisely positioning individual molecules at room temperature, using the extremely fine tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). This is another important step towards being able to do a wide range of "engineering" on the nanometer scale (one millionth of a millimeter). It could help lead to the ultimate limits of miniaturization and open the way to fabricating molecules with specific properties and functions, constructing computers of ultimately small size, and even to building minute molecular machines capable of cleaning or repairing nano-scale electronic circuits, for example.

1996-11-13 04:55:14

Nano-Abacus

The world's smallest abacus is created out of 10 atoms by scientists at IBM’s Zurich Research Lab, another major milestone in engineering at the nanoscale.

1999-07-24 04:55:14

Discovery of molecular wheel offers promise for design of nanoscale devices

IBM Zurich scientists and partners discover a molecular wheel, which shows promise for making nanoscale mechanical gears and motors.

2000-04-13 04:55:14

IBM and university researchers uncover a new biomechanical phenomenon using tiny silicon fingers

Scientists from IBM Research and the University of Basel have found a new approach for using tiny biochemical "machines" made of silicon to detect defects in DNA, which could eventually lead to new medical treatments.

2001-04-27 04:55:14

IBM Scientists Develop Breakthrough Carbon Nanotube Transistor Technology

IBM scientists have developed a breakthrough transistor technology that could enable production of a new class of smaller, faster and lower power computer chips than currently possible with silicon.

2001-08-27 04:55:14

Single-Molecule Computer Circuit

IBM scientists unveil the world's first single-molecule computer circuit, carbon nanotube transistors transformed into logic-performing integrated circuits, a major step toward molecular computers.

2002-06-11 22:53:12

IBM's "Millipede" project demonstrates trillion-bit data storage density

Using an innovative nanotechnology, IBM scientists have demonstrated a data storage density of one trillion bits per square inch — 20 times higher than the densest magnetic storage available today. IBM achieved this remarkable density — enough to store 25 million printed textbook pages on a surface the size of a postage stamp — in a research project code-named "Millipede".

2002-10-24 22:53:12

IBM Scientists Build World's Smallest Operating Computing Circuits

IBM researchers have built and operated the world's smallest working computer circuits using an innovative new approach in which individual molecules move across an atomic surface like toppling dominoes. The new "molecule cascade" technique enabled the IBM scientists to make working digital-logic elements some 260,000 times smaller than those used in today's most advanced semiconductor chips.

2003-05-01 22:53:12

Carbon Nanotube Light Emitter

IBM today announced it created the world's smallest solid-state light emitter. This research breakthrough - the first, electrically-controlled, single-molecule light emitter - demonstrates the rapidly improving understanding of molecular devices. The results also suggest that the unique attributes of carbon nanotubes may be applicable to optoelectronics, which is the basis for the high-speed communications industry.

2003-06-25 22:53:12

3D Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles

Scientists from IBM, Columbia University and the University of New Orleans demonstrate the first three-dimensional self-assembly of magnetic and semiconducting nanoparticles, a modular assembly method that enables scientists to bring almost any materials together.

2004-07-14 06:40:50

Advancing Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy

IBM scientists make breakthrough in nanoscale imaging — the ability to detect the faint magnetic signal from a single electron buried inside a solid sample is a major milestone toward creating a microscope that can make three-dimensional images of molecules with atomic resolution.

2004-07-23 22:53:12

IBM scientists control the charge state of an individual atom

Scientists of IBM Research - Zurich and of Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, have succeeded in manipulating and controlling the charge state of individual atoms. With this experiment, a new dimension of manipulation has been achieved. The ability to add or remove an electron charge to or from an individual atom can help expand greatly the scope of atom-scale research. Switching between different charge states of an individual atom can enable, for example, unprecedented control in the study of chemical reactivity, optical properties, or magnetic moment.

2004-09-09 06:40:50

IBM Scientists Demonstrate Single-Atom Magnetic Measurements

IBM scientists have measured a fundamental magnetic property of a single atom -- the energy required to flip its magnetic orientation. This is the first result by a promising new technique they developed to study the properties of nanometer-scale magnetic structures that are expected to revolutionize future information technologies. From spintronics to quantum computing, a large number of dramatically new ideas for electronic, computing and data storage devices are emerging to exploit the remarkable properties resulting from the magnetic orientations of electrons and atoms.

2005-11-03 18:48:20

Slowing the Speed of Light

Using nanoelectronic fabrication technologies, IBM researchers create a tiny device that slows the speed of light, representing a big advance toward the eventual use of light in place of electricity in the connection of electronic components, potentially leading to vast improvements in the performance of computers and other electronic systems.

2005-11-08 22:53:12

Spin-Flip Spectroscopy

IBM scientists develop a new technique called “spin-flip spectroscopy” to study the properties of atomic-scale magnetic structures. They use this technique to measure a fundamental magnetic property of a single atom—the energy required to flip its magnetic orientation.

2006-03-24 19:04:24

Carbon Nanotube Ring Oscillator

IBM researchers build the first complete electronic integrated circuit around a single “carbon nanotube” molecule, a new material that shows promise for providing enhanced performance over the current performance of standard silicon semiconductors. Importantly, this breakthrough builds on standard semiconductor processes, using a single molecule as the base for all components in the circuit.

2006-03-30 19:04:24

IBM Scientists Develop New Way to Explore and Control Atom-Scale Magnetism

IBM scientists develop a powerful new technique for exploring and controlling atomic magnetism, an important tool in the quest not only to understand the operation of future computer circuit and data-storage elements as they shrink toward atomic dimensions, but also to lay the foundation for new materials and computing devices that leverage atom-scale magnetic phenomena.

2006-05-26 19:04:24

Atomic-scale precision reaches new heights in electrical contacting capabilities with single molecules

Researchers at IBM Research - Zurich have succeeded in obtaining direct images of the orbital reorganization that takes place when a gold atom and a pentacene molecule form a complex on a surface. Apart from its scientific beauty, the atomic-scale precision of this single-molecule chemistry experiment breaks new ground in electrical contacting capabilities with individual molecules, which could be of importance for future electronics.

2006-08-04 00:00:00

IBM researchers look beyond silicon technology and investigate molecules for the future of information processing

Scientists at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory have demonstrated how a single molecule can be switched between two distinct conductive states, which allows it to store data. As published today in SMALL, these experiments show that certain types of molecules reveal intrinsic molecular functionalities that are comparable to devices used in today's semiconductor technology. This finding is yet another promising result to emerge from IBM's research labs in their efforts to explore and develop novel technologies for the post-CMOS era.

2007-01-02 19:04:24

Impact Ionization Field-Effect Nanowire Transistor

IBM Zurich researchers demonstrate the first impact ionization field-effect transistor in a nanowire architecture. Such nanowire transistors use much less voltage for switching. Semiconducting nanowires are a promising technology for extending the CMOS roadmap.

2007-04-22 19:04:24

IBM Milestone Brings MRI Technology to the Nanoscale

IBM today announced that researchers at its Almaden Research Center have demonstrated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to visualize nanoscale objects. This technique brings MRI capability to the nanoscale level for the first time and represents a major milestone in the quest to build a microscope that could "see" individual atoms in three dimensions. Using Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM), IBM researchers have demonstrated two-dimensional imaging of objects as small as 90 nanometers, a key advancement on the path of 3D imaging at the atomic scale. Such imaging could ultimately provide a better understanding of how proteins function, which in turn may lead to more efficient drug discovery and development.

2007-08-30 00:00:00

Single-Molecule Switching Could Lead to Molecular Computers

IBM researchers unveiled the first single-molecule switch that can operate flawlessly without disrupting the molecule's outer frame -- a significant step toward building computing elements at the molecular scale that are vastly smaller, faster and use less energy than today's computer chips and memory devices. In addition to switching within a single molecule, the researchers also demonstrated that atoms inside one molecule can be used to switch atoms in an adjacent molecule, representing a rudimentary logic element. This is made possible partly because the molecular framework is not disturbed.

2007-08-30 19:04:24

Magnetic Atom Milestone Brings Single-Atom Data Storage Closer to Reality

IBM scientists describe major progress in probing a property called magnetic anisotropy in individual atoms. This fundamental measurement has important technological consequences because it determines an atom’s ability to store information. Previously, nobody had been able to measure the magnetic anisotropy of a single atom. With further work it may be possible to build structures consisting of small clusters of atoms, or even individual atoms, that could reliably store magnetic information. Such a storage capability would enable nearly 30,000 feature length movies or the entire contents of YouTube – millions of videos estimated to be more than 1,000 trillion bits of data – to fit in a device the size of an iPod. Perhaps more importantly, the breakthrough could lead to new kinds of structures and devices that are so small they could be applied to entire new fields and disciplines beyond traditional computing.

2008-02-21 19:04:24

IBM Scientists First To Measure Force Required To Move Individual Atoms

IBM scientists, in collaboration with the University of Regensburg in Germany, are the first ever to measure the force it takes to move individual atoms on a surface. This fundamental measurement provides important information for designing future atomic-scale devices: computer chips, miniaturized storage devices, and more.

2009-01-13 19:04:24

IBM Research Creates Microscope With 100 Million Times Finer Resolution Than Current MRI

IBM Research scientists, in collaboration with the Center for Probing the Nanoscale at Stanford University, have demonstrated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with volume resolution 100 million times finer than conventional MRI.

2009-03-02 19:04:24

Novel Techniques to Measure Distribution of Energy and Heat in Powered Carbon Nanotube Devices

IBM Research scientists today announced a landmark study in the field of nanoelectronics; the development and demonstration of novel techniques to measure the distribution of energy and heat in powered carbon nanotube devices.

2009-06-12 19:04:24

IBM scientists directly measure charge states of atoms using an atomic force microscope

IBM scientists in collaboration with the University of Regensburg, Germany, and Utrecht University, Netherlands, for the first time demonstrated the ability to measure the charge state of individual atoms using noncontact atomic force microscopy. Measuring with the precision of a single electron charge and nanometer lateral resolution, researchers succeeded in distinguishing neutral atoms from positively or negatively charged ones. This represents a milestone in nanoscale science and opens up new possibilities in the exploration of nanoscale structures and devices at the ultimate atomic and molecular limits. These results hold potential to impact a variety of fields such as molecular electronics, catalysis or photovoltaics. As reported in the June 12 issue of Science magazine, Leo Gross, Fabian Mohn and Gerhard Meyer of IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Regensburg and Utrecht University imaged and identified differently charged individual gold and silver atoms by measuring the tiny differences in the forces between the tip of an atomic force microscope and a charged or uncharged atom located in close proximity below it.

2009-08-28 19:04:24

Imaging the “anatomy” of a molecule

IBM scientists have been able to image the “anatomy” — or chemical structure — inside a molecule with unprecedented resolution, using a complex technique known as noncontact atomic force microscopy. Imaging individual atoms within a molecule has been a long-standing goal of surface microscopy.

2009-09-07 19:04:24

IBM Scientists Effectively Eliminate Wear at the Nanoscale

IBM scientists have demonstrated a promising and practical method that effectively eliminates the mechanical wear in the nanometer-sharp tips used in scanning probe-based techniques. This discovery can potentially be used in the development of next generation, more advanced computer chips that have higher performance and smaller feature sizes. Scanning probe-based tools could be one approach to extend the capabilities, quality and precision beyond the projected limits of current production and characterization tools.

2010-02-25 02:01:52

IBM Research creates world’s smallest 3D map; brings low cost and ease of use to the fabrication of nanoscale objects

IBM (NYSE: IBM) scientists have created a 3D map of the earth so small that 1,000 of them could fit on one grain of salt.1 The scientists accomplished this by means of a new, breakthrough technique that uses a tiny, silicon tip with a sharp apex — 100,000 times smaller than a sharpened pencil — to create patterns and structures as small as 15 nanometers at greatly reduced cost and complexity. This patterning technique opens new prospects for developing nanosized objects in fields such as electronics, future chip technology, medicine, life sciences, and opto-electronics.

2010-02-25 02:01:52

Nanotechnologists from the University of Pennsylvania collaborate to form near-frictionless diamond material

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and IBM Research-Zürich have fabricated an ultra sharp, diamond-like carbon tip possessing such high strength that it is 3,000 times more wear-resistant at the nanoscale than silicon.

2010-08-02 02:01:52

IBM and University of Aberdeen collaborate to identify molecules from the deep sea

In a pioneering research project, for the first time, scientists at IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the University of Aberdeen have collaborated to “see” the structure of a marine compound from the deepest place on the Earth using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The results of the project open up new possibilities in biological research which could lead to the faster development of new medicines in the future.

2010-09-24 19:04:24

IBM Breakthrough Captures High Speed Measurements of Individual Atoms

IBM researchers published a breakthrough technique in the peer-reviewed journal Science that measures how long a single atom can hold information, and giving scientists the ability to record, study and "visualize" extremely fast phenomena inside these atoms.

2010-12-01 19:04:24

Breakthrough Chip Technology Lights the Path to Exascale Computing

IBM scientists today unveiled a new chip technology that integrates electrical and optical devices on the same piece of silicon, enabling computer chips to communicate using pulses of light (instead of electrical signals), resulting in smaller, faster and more power-efficient chips than is possible with conventional technologies. The new technology, called CMOS Integrated Silicon Nanophotonics, is the result of a decade of development at IBM's global Research laboratories. The patented technology will change and improve the way computer chips communicate – by integrating optical devices and functions directly onto a silicon chip, enabling over 10X improvement in integration density than is feasible with current manufacturing techniques.

2011-05-17 10:25:32

Noise Free Labs

Besides the state-of-the-art exploratory cleanroom fabrication facility, six “noise-free” labs have been developed by IBM and are currently used for the most sensitive research, where the cleanroom environment would be too “loud”. These special premises are required for accurate fabrication and characterization at the nanometer scale and beyond. For such research activities, measurements must be screened from building-internal and building-external disturbances.

2011-05-17 19:04:24

Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center Opens

Centerpiece of a multi-million dollar, 10-year strategic partnership in nanoscience between IBM and ETH Zurich, the new, jointly operated Nanotechnology Center is inaugurated. The center offers a cutting-edge infrastructure featuring a state-of-the-art cleanroom for micro- and nanofabrication and six uniquely designed noise-free labs that open up a new level of precision. Scientists will collaborate and research novel nanoscale structures and devices for enhancing information technologies.

2011-06-10 19:04:24

IBM Researchers Create High-Speed Graphene Circuits

Today, IBM Research scientists unveiled they have achieved a major milestone in creating a building block for the future of wireless devices. In a paper published today in the magazine Science, IBM researchers announced the first integrated circuit fabricated from wafer-size graphene, and demonstrated a broadband frequency mixer operating at frequencies up to 10 gigahertz (10 billion cycles/second). This result opens up possibilities of achieving practical graphene technology with more high-performance, radio-frequency communication devices.

2011-08-18 19:04:24

IBM Unveils Cognitive Computing Chips

IBM researchers unveiled a new generation of experimental computer chips designed to emulate the brain’s abilities for perception, action and cognition. The technology could yield many orders of magnitude less power consumption and space than used in today’s computers.

2012-01-12 19:04:24

IBM Research Determines Atomic Limits of Magnetic Memory

Punctuating 30 years of nanotechnology research, scientists from IBM Research (NYSE: IBM) have successfully demonstrated the ability to store information in as few as 12 magnetic atoms. This is significantly less than today’s disk drives, which use about one million atoms to store a single bit of information. The ability to manipulate matter by its most basic components – atom by atom – could lead to the vital understanding necessary to build smaller, faster and more energy-efficient devices.

2012-02-08 00:00:00

Inspired by steel, nanomanufacturing gets wear-resistant carbide tip

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and IBM (NYSE: IBM) Research – Zurich have fabricated an ultrasharp silicon carbide tip possessing such high strength that it is thousands of times more wear-resistant at the nanoscale than previous designs. The new tip, which is 100,000 times smaller than the tip of a pencil, represents an important step towards nanomanufacturing for applications, including bio sensors for healthcare and the environment.

2012-02-22 19:04:24

Microscopically small Ampelmännchen® demonstrate the performance of a new nanoprinting technique

Scientists at the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Research – Zurich Laboratory in collaboration with the ETH Zurich have succeeded in positioning so-called nanotubes — measuring only 25 by 80 nanometers — on a surface in a highly precise and systematic manner using a special nanoscale orientation and printing process. To prove that their method works, the scientists constructed a standing and a walking Ampelmännchen® (pedestrian pictogram on traffic lights) of selectively oriented gold nanotubes. An interesting application of this method could be as counterfeit-proofing of valuable items such as watches, jewellery or works of art.

2012-02-27 19:04:24

IBM Research nanophysics breakthrough captures first-ever image of charge distribution in a single molecule

IBM scientists were able to measure for the first time how charge is distributed within a single molecule. This breakthrough will enable fundamental scientific insights into single-molecule switching and bond formation between atoms and molecules. The ability to image the charge distribution within functional molecular structures holds great promise for future applications such as solar photoconversion, energy storage, or molecular scale computing devices.

2012-03-08 19:04:24

Holey Optochip First to Transfer One Trillion Bits of Information per Second Using the Power of Light

IBM scientists today will report on a prototype optical chipset, dubbed “Holey Optochip”, that is the first parallel optical transceiver to transfer one trillion bits – one terabit – of information per second, the equivalent of downloading 500 high definition movies. The report will be presented at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference taking place in Los Angeles.

Nanotechnology at IBM Research

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