Email This Story

IBM makes nanotech innovations

Sept. 7, 2007

Courtesy photo This electronic image demonstrates how the new science of nanotechnology can manipulate things as small as individual atoms and molecules.

By Bryant Clark
Reporter

The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin each made it big, but imagine storing their entire musical collection on something as small as a single atom.

On Tuesday, IBM announced two major scientific achievements, large in substance but small in size.

IBM scientists have finally measured a single atom's magnetic anisotropy, which plays a role in an atom's ability to store information.

This discovery could allow engineers to build devices consisting of clusters of atoms or even individual atoms that could reliably store magnetic information. What does this mean for the average consumer?

Take your pick: 30,000 full-length movies or every video on YouTube all on one iPod.

Some industry members believe conventional silicon-based chips are approaching their physical limits, but some are not convinced of the present need for this technology.

Dr. Peter Maurer, associate professor of computer science, is not convinced of the forthcoming barriers.

"Right now we're not approaching those limitations, as far as the people on the front line are concerned," he said. "They're still moving at the same amount of progress as they always have."

But Dr. Randall Jean, associate professor of electrical and computing engineering, definitely sees the future in quantum computing.

"With the present trend of making things smaller and smaller, we really will be looking at operations at the atomic level," Jean said. "Now how long that is until we get to real quantum computing, I don't know. But it seems very plausible that we're going to get there.

IBM researchers also unveiled the first single-molecule switch that can operate faultlessly without disturbing the molecule's consistency. Computer elements could receive a monumental update allowing them to be faster, smaller and more energy efficient.

Jean believes some of the most exciting research being done is on biomedical applications of electronics.

"We're going to have implants that are going to help control things like diabetes and blood pressure by sending electronic signals to organs and glands," Jean said. "When you get things small, it makes it a lot easier to place it inside your body."

IBM is attempting to build atomic circuits and network them together into a molecule chip. This would make computer components small enough to fit on the tip of a needle.

Still, implementation of this technology into electronics is still in its infancy stage.

North Richland Hills freshman Shawn McEndree looks forward to the day when such technology can be put to use.

"There will be more space to carry useful information with us," McEndree said.

More News ...