There

1
Theres Plenty of Room at the BottomAn
Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics

• Richard Feynman
• 1959

2
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

3
Introduction

• In 1959, Feynman observed
• Nobody studied applied physics of the very small
• No theoretical knowledge seemed likely to result.
• Practical applications seemed enormous.

4
Introduction

• Why cannot we write the entire 24 volumes of the
  Encyclopedia Brittanica on the head of a pin?
• A pins diameter 1/16 inch.
• Magnify by 25,000
• 25,000 / 16 130.2 feet.
• Its area 13,314 square feet
• This is enough to fit the Brittanica.
• It thus suffices to shrink it to 1/25,000.
• At that scale, 1 half-tone dot 3232 atoms.
• This is big enough to work.

5
Introduction

• Such a miniaturization is readable.
• Make a temporary copy of mold
• Press the pins head into plastic peel off
  plastic
• Construct a copy of mold
• Evaporate silica into the plastic
• Evaporate gold at an angle (only raised parts
  coated)
• Dissolve plastic, leaving only silica gold.
• Read the copy
• Look thru this cloth with an electron
  microscope.
• Original mold (pin) is reusable.

6
Gold deposition
Angle of deposition
1.
2.
7
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

8
How do we write small?

• Use lenses in reverse
• Pass light thru focusing on a small spot.
• Focused light is intense. Use material that can
  be etched by this focused energy.

9
How do we write small?

• Entire LOC fits in area of a 35-page magazine.
• ? there is room at the bottom.
• Feynman then demonstrates
• There is plenty of room at the bottom.
• Using physics known in 1959(!).

10
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

11
Information on a small scale

• Encode information as bits
• 1 char 7 bits.
• Using volumes instead of surfaces
• 5 X 5 X 5 125 atoms of 1 metal for 1
• 125 atoms of another metal for 0
• The Brittanica 1015 bits
• All of mankinds books fit in 1/200 inch cubed.
• (Reading inside the cube is not discussed.)
• Nature uses approximately 50 atoms/bit in DNA.

12
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

13
Better electron microscopes

• A 100-fold improvement in electron microscopy
  goes a long way.
• It is possible
• 1959 microscopes resolve to 10 angstroms.
• Wave length of electron is 1/20 angstrom
• 100-fold improvement thus is possible.
• (been done?)
• Applications to scientific problems
• See DNA, RNA, the cell at work.
• See chemical reactions at work.
• Is there a physical way to synthesize chemicals?

14
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

15
The marvelous biological system

• Cells dont just write information, they are
  active.
• Replicating parts (e.g., proteins)
• Replicating themselves (mitosis)
• Replicating an entire organism.
• Some cells move all have moving parts.
• Can we make small
• Computers
• Other maneuverable devices?

16
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

17
Miniaturizing the computer

• Make wires 10 100 atoms in diameter.
• (In 1959, computers filled entire rooms.)
• Feynman speculates 106 bigger computers could
  perform qualitatively harder tasks.
• E.g., face recognition, at which the brain excels
  (occupies an enormous of the human brain).

18
Miniaturizing the computer

• Brains microscopic elements gtgt computers.
• What if we made sub-microscopic elements?
• Feynman faster computers ultimately must have
  smaller elements
• (Speed of light lower bound on latency)

19
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

20
Miniaturization by evaporation

• Make small elements using evaporation
• Evaporate
• a metal layer
• an insulation layer
• repeat until have all the elements you want.
• ICs, invented much later, (still!) made this
  way.

21
Miniaturization by evaporation

• Make small machines (not just computers) using
  small tools?
• What are the problems?
• Resolution of the material.
• A flywheel of diameter 10 atoms wont be round.
• Weight/inertia do not dominate at smaller scale.
• Electrical parts (e.g., magnetic fields) must be
  redesigned (but can be done).

22
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

23
Problems of lubrication

• Heat dissipates rapidly at that scale.
• Dont lubricate!
• Feynmans friend, Hibbs nanoscale machines as
  medical agents, running around inside our bodies.
• How to make small things
• With existing tools, make smaller tools.
• With smaller tools, make yet smaller tools.
• Iterate.
• What about needed increases in precision?

24
Problems of lubrication

• Increasing precision an example.
• Make smaller flat surfaces.
• Take 3 such smaller surfaces. Rub them together
  until they are flat enough at that scale.
• At each level, perform precision-improving
  actions, at that scale.
• Use simultaneous replication to increase
  manufacturing efficiency.

25
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

26
100 tiny hands

• Fractal branching ultra-dexterous robots (Bush
  robots)
• H. Moravec, J. Easudes, and F. Dellaert
• NASA Advanced Concepts Research Project,
  December, 1996.

Each level is a hand. The tip of each finger has
a Smaller hand. We get an exponential number of
small fingers
27
100 tiny hands

• Feynamn notes, at this scale
• Gravity is almost imperceptible compared to Van
  der Waals molecular attraction.
• Van der Waals attractions make things at this
  scale attract (stick).
• Designs must take account for these forces.

28
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

29
Rearranging the atoms

• Constructing materials atom by atom gives
  materials science enormously more potential.
• E.g., make arrays of tiny circuits that emit
  light at the same wavelength in the same
  direction.
• (This is being done now in laboratories.)
• Resistance problems increase at that scale.
• Suggests using superconductivity, as 1 approach.

30
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

31
Atoms in a small world

• Atoms on a small scale satisfy laws of quantum
  mechanics.
• Nothing acts like this at a large scale.
• We can exploit
• quantized energy levels
• Interactions of quantized spins, etc.
• Manufacturing perfection
• If resolution is less than 1 atom, then each copy
  is exact, atom for atom.

32
Atoms in a small world

• Replace chemistry with physical manufacture.
• Proposed a competition
• Who can build the smallest motor, for example.

33
Outline

• Introduction
• How do we write small?
• Information on a small scale
• Better electron microscopes
• The marvelous biological system
• Miniaturizing the computer
• Miniaturization by evaporation
• Problems of lubrication
• 100 tiny hands
• Rearranging the atoms
• Atoms in a small world
• Feynman Prizes

34
Feynman Prizes

• Information on the Feynman Prizes
• http//www.foresight.org/FI/fi_spons.html
• 1998 Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, Theory
• Ralph Merkle (Xerox PARC)
• Stephen Walch (ELORET at NASA Ames)
• For computational model of molecular tools for
  atomically-precise chemical reactions.