ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology is an emerging/enabling technology and of utmost importance. Two main approaches are used in nanotechnology. In the bottom-up approach, materials and devices are built from molecular components that assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular recognition. In the top-down approach, nano-objects are constructed from larger entities with or without atomic-level control. The impetus for nanotechnology comes from a renewed interest in interface and colloid science, coupled with a new generation of analytical tools such as the atomic force microscope and the scanning tunneling microscope. Combined with refined processes such as electron beam lithography and molecular beam epitaxy, these instruments allow the deliberate manipulation of nanostructures and lead to the observation of novel phenomena.
