Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Thesis
  • Published:

35 atoms that changed the nanoworld

It is 20 years since researchers at IBM spelt out the name of their company with atoms. Chris Toumey looks at the story behind a landmark in nanotechnology.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: A sequence of STM images showing individual xenon atoms on a nickel surface being manipulated with a STM to spell out IBM.
Figure 2: Don Eigler's lab book for 14 February 1990 — the day on which he first succeeded in using an STM to pick up atoms from a metal surface and then place them back on the surface with atomic precision, as opposed to using an STM to slide the atoms across the surface (Fig. 1 and ref. 1).

References

  1. Eigler, D. M. & Schweizer, E. K. Nature 344, 524–526 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Müller, E. W. J. Appl. Phys. 27, 474–476 (1956).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Melmed, A. Appl. Surf. Sci. 94/95, 17–25 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Young, R. Physics Today 42–49 (November, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Young, R., Ward, J. & Scire, F. Rev. Sci. Instr. 43, 999–1011 (1972).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Gerber, C. & Lang, H. P. Nature Nanotech. 1, 3–5 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Binnig, G. & Rohrer, H. Scientific American 50–56 (August, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Schneiker, C. & Hameroff, S. in Molecular Electronic Devices (eds Carter, F. et al.) 69–90 (North-Holland, 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Toumey, C. Nature Nanotech. 2, 9–10 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Feynman, R. Engineering & Science 22–36 (February, 1960).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Binnig, G. & Rohrer, H. Rev. Mod. Phys. 59, 615–625 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Becker, R., Golovchenko, J. & Swarzentruber, B. Nature 325, 419–421 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Foster, J., Frommer, J. & Arnett, P. Nature 331, 324–326 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. http://www.almaden.ibm.com/vis/stm/gallery.html

  15. Don Eigler and his Dog Argon: Moving Atoms Talking Nano Disc 2 (Museum of Science, 2008); available at <www.talkingnano.net>.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Toumey, C. 35 atoms that changed the nanoworld. Nature Nanotech 5, 239–241 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2010.61

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2010.61

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing