Solutions for Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing, 3/e (published by Wiley) © MPGroover 2007

38 Nanofabrication Technologies
Review Questions
38.1 What is the range of feature sizes of entities associated with nanotechnology?
Answer: The features sizes are in the range 1 to 100 nm.
38.2 What are the scientific and technical disciplines associated with nanoscience and
nanotechnology?
Answer: The main disciplines include chemistry, physics, various engineering disciplines,
computer science, biology, and medical science.
38.3 Why is biology so closely associated with nanoscience and nanotechnology?
Answer: The close association of biology derives from the fact that the building blocks of
biological organisms are in the same size range. For example, proteins range in size between
about 4 nm and 50 nm.
38.4 Identify some of the present and future products associated with nanotechnology.
Answer: Products mentioned in the text include computers, flat screen displays, and batteries
based on carbon nanotubes; nanodots and nanowires as reinforcing agents in composite materials;
cancer drugs designed to match the genetic profile of cancer cells; surface films that absorb more
solar energy than current photovoltaic receptacles; nanoscale coatings to increase scratch
resistance of surfaces and stain resistance of fabrics; portable medical laboratories, and light
sources that are more energy efficient.
38.5 The behavior of nanoscale structures is different from macroscale and even microscale structures
due to two factors mentioned in the text. What are those two factors?
Answer: The two factors mentioned in the text that differentiate nanoscale objects from much
larger ones are (1) surface properties become much more important because a much higher
proportion of a nanoscale object’s atoms or molecules are at the surface, whereas in a larger
object the internal atoms and molecules are relatively much more numerous; and (2) material
behavior of nanoscale objects is influenced by quantum mechanics rather than bulk properties.
38.6 What is a scanning probe instrument, and why is it so important in nanoscience and
nanotechnology?
Answer: A scanning probe instrument uses a very sharp probe, whose tip approaches the size of
an atom, that moves along the surface of the specimen at a distance of only one nanometer in
order to measure properties of the surface. This type of instrument is important because it permits
images of the surface to be constructed that are on the scale of the surface atoms.
38.7 What is tunneling, as referred to in the scanning tunneling microscope?
Answer: Tunneling is a quantum mechanics phenomenon in which individual electrons in a solid
material jump beyond the surface of the solid into space. The probability of electrons being in this
space beyond the surface decreases exponentially in proportion to the distance from the surface.
This sensitivity to distance is exploited in the scanning tunneling microscope by positioning the
probe tip very close to the surface and applying a small voltage between the two. This causes
electrons of surface atoms to be attracted to the small positive charge of the tip, and they tunnel
across the gap to the probe.
38.8 What is a buckyball?

Excerpts from this work may be reproduced by instructors for distribution on a not-for-profit basis for testing or instructional purposes only to
students enrolled in courses for which the textbook has been adopted. Any other reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted
by Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful.
255
Solutions for Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing, 3/e (published by Wiley) © MPGroover 2007

Answer: A buckyball is the carbon molecule C60, a molecule containing exactly 60 carbon atoms
and shaped like a soccer ball. The 60 atoms are arranged symmetrically into 12 pentagonal faces
and 20 hexagonal faces to form a ball.
38.9 What is a carbon nanotube?
Answer: A carbon nanotube is another molecular structure of carbon atoms possessing the shape
of a tube. It has a typical size of a few nm in diameter and a length of 100 nm or so. Of interest
are its mechanical and electrical properties. It can possess strength and stiffness properties
exceeding those of steel, and it can be a conductor of electricity or a semiconductor.
38.10 What are the two basic categories of approaches used in nanofabrication?
Answer: The two basic categories are (1) top-down approaches, which adapt the microfabrication
techniques to nanoscale object sizes and (2) bottom-up approaches, in which atoms and molecules
are manipulated and combined into larger structures.
38.11 Why is photolithography based on visible light not used in nanotechnology?
Answer: Because the wavelength of visible light is 400 to 700 nm, well beyond nanoscale.
38.12 What are the lithography techniques used in nanofabrication?
Answer: The lithography techniques discussed in the text are (1) extreme ultraviolet lithography,
(2) electron beam lithography, (3) x-ray lithography, and (4) nano-imprint lithography.
38.13 Briefly describe the micro-imprint lithography technique.
Answer: Micro-imprint lithography uses a flat mold with the desired pattern on one face that
physically deforms the resist surface to create microscopic features where the substrate surface is
protected while other regions are exposed.
38.14 How is nano-imprint lithography different from micro-imprint lithography?
Answer: Nano-imprint lithography is the same basic process as micro-imprint lithography except
the deformed features of the resist are of nanoscale proportions.
38.15 What are the limitations of scanning probe techniques in nanofabrication that inhibit its
commercial application?
Answer: The limitations of scanning probe techniques include (1) they must be carried out in a
very high vacuum environment to prevent stray atoms or molecules from interfering with the
process and (2) the surface of the substrate must be cooled to temperatures approaching absolute
zero (-273°C or -460°F) in order to reduce thermal diffusion that would gradually distort the
atomic structure being formed. These limitations make it a very slow and expensive process.
38.16 What is self-assembly in nanofabrication?
Answer: Self-assembly is a process in which entities at the atomic and/or molecular level
combine on their own into larger entities, proceeding in a constructive manner toward the
creation of some deliberate thing.
38.17 What are the desirable features of atomic or molecular self-assembly processes in
nanotechnology?
Answer: The desirable features of atomic or molecular self-assembly processes include the
following: (1) they can be carried out rapidly, (2) they occur automatically and do not require any
central control, (3) they exhibit massive replication, and (4) they can be performed at or near
atmospheric pressure and room temperature.

Excerpts from this work may be reproduced by instructors for distribution on a not-for-profit basis for testing or instructional purposes only to
students enrolled in courses for which the textbook has been adopted. Any other reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted
by Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful.
256
Solutions for Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing, 3/e (published by Wiley) © MPGroover 2007

Multiple Choice Quiz

There is a total of 20 correct answers in the following multiple-choice questions (some questions have
more than one correct answer). To achieve a perfect score on the quiz, all correct answers must be given.
Each correct answer is worth 1 point. Each omitted answer or wrong answer reduces the total score by 1
point, and each additional answer beyond the correct number of answers reduces the score by 1 point. The
percentage score on the quiz is based on the total number of correct answers.
38.1 Nanotechnology refers to the fabrication and application of entities whose feature sizes are in
which of the following ranges (one best answer): (a) 0.1 nm to 10 nm, (b) 1 nm to 100 nm, or (c)
100 nm to 1000 nm?
Answer: (b).
38.2 One nanometer is equivalent to which of the following (two correct answers): (a) 1 x 10-3 μm, (b)
1 x 10-6 m, (c) 1 x 10-9 m, and (d) 1 x 106 mm.
Answer: (a) and (c).
38.3 Which of the following biological entities is the largest (one answer): (a) chlorophyll, (b) flu
virus, (c) hemoglobin in blood, or (d) red blood cell?
Answer: (d).
38.4 The surface-to-volume ratio of a cube that is 1 x 10-6 m on each edge is significantly greater than
the surface-to-volume ratio of a cube that is 1 m on each edge, (a) true or (b) false?
Answer: (b). The surface-to-volume ratios of the two cubes are equal.
38.5 The proportion of surface molecules relative to internal molecules is significantly greater for a
cube that is 1 x 10-6 m on each edge than for a cube that is 1 m on each edge, (a) true or (b) false?
Answer: (a).
38.6 Which of the following microscopes can achieve the greatest magnification (one best answer): (a)
electron microscope, (b) optical microscope, or (c) scanning tunneling microscope?
Answer: (c).
38.7 Which of the following are correct statements about a buckyball (three best answers): (a) it
contains 60 atoms, (b) it contains 100 atoms, (c) it contains 600 atoms, (d) it is a carbon atom, (e)
it is a carbon molecule, (f) it is shaped like a basketball, (g) it is shaped like a tube, and (h) it is
shaped like a volleyball.
Answer: (a), (e), and (h).
38.8 Which of the following are considered techniques that fall within the category called top-down
approaches to nanofabrication (three best answers): (a) biological evolution, (b) electron beam
lithography, (c) micro-imprint lithography, (d) scanning probe techniques, (e) self-assembly, and
(f) x-ray lithography?
Answer: (b), (c), and (f).
38.9 Which of the following are considered techniques that fall within the category called bottom-up
approaches to nanofabrication (three best answers): (a) electron beam lithography, (b) extreme
ultraviolet lithography, (c) chemical vapor deposition to produce carbon nanotubes, (d) nano-
imprint lithography, (e) scanning probe techniques, (f) self-assembly, and (g) x-ray lithography?
Answer: (c), (e), and (f).

Excerpts from this work may be reproduced by instructors for distribution on a not-for-profit basis for testing or instructional purposes only to
students enrolled in courses for which the textbook has been adopted. Any other reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted
by Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful.
257
Solutions for Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing, 3/e (published by Wiley) © MPGroover 2007

38.10 Dip-pen nanolithography uses which of the following techniques and/or devices (one correct
answer): (a) atomic force microscope, (b) chemical vapor deposition, (c) electron beam
lithography, (d) nano-imprint lithography, or (e) self-assembly?
Answer: (a).
38.11 Self-assembly is likely to be the most important of the nanofabrication processes because of its
low cost, its capacity for producing structures over a range of sizes (from nanoscale to
macroscale), and its general applicability to a wide variety of products, (a) true or (b) false?
Answer: (a).
38.12 A self-assembled monolayer has a thickness that is which one of the following: (a) one
micrometer, (b) one millimeter, (c) one molecule, or (d) one nanometer?
Answer: (c).
38.13 NNI stands for which one of the following: (a) Nanoscience Naval Institute, (b) Nanoscience
Nonsense and Ignorance, (c) National Nanotechnology Initiative, or (d) Nanotechnology News
Identification?
Answer: (c).

Excerpts from this work may be reproduced by instructors for distribution on a not-for-profit basis for testing or instructional purposes only to
students enrolled in courses for which the textbook has been adopted. Any other reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted
by Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful.
258