The enigmatic Möbius strip has long been an object of fascination, appearing in numerous works of art, most famously a woodcut by the Dutchman M.C. Escher, in which a tribe of ants traverses the form's single, never-ending surface.

A novel nano-tomography method developed by a team of researchers from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen, the Paul Scherrer Institute and the ETH-Zurich opens the door to computed tomography examinations of minute structures at nanometer resolutions. Three-dimensional detailed imaging of fragile bone structures becomes possible. Their first nano-CT images will be published in Nature on Sept. 23, 2010. This new technique will facilitate advances in both life sciences and materials sciences.

NanoInk, Inc.® announced today that it launched a new corporate Web site, www.nanoink.net, which includes the latest information on its five operating divisions: NanoFabrication Systems; Nano BioDiscovery; NanoGuardian™; NanoProfessor™; and NanoStem™ Cell. The new Web site clearly delineates between the different divisions and commercial applications, so that visitors can more easily find the information they need. The Web site also contains updated product information, the very latest application notes and proof of performance data.

In another step towards driving the maturity of 3D IC integration, SEMATECH's 3D Interconnect program announced today the completion of its 300mm 3D IC pilot line, operating at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) Albany NanoTech Complex. Dedicated to via-mid 3D applications, SEMATECH's development and exploratory platform includes all processes and test vehicles necessary to demonstrate the viability of the via-mid technology in conjunction with advanced CMOS

Picosun Oy, Finland-based global manufacturer of state-of-the-art Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) systems today announced a 400 % increase in new orders received during its fiscal Q1 (May to July 2010) on a year-on-year basis.

JEOL has introduced a unique Scanning Electron Microscope with optics that enable ultrahigh resolution imaging at low kV and high spatial resolution microanalysis. The Through-the-Lens System (TTLS) combines new objective lens and detector technologies with the proven JEOL in-lens Field Emission Gun. The TTLS is designed to enable imaging of a wide variety of samples, including magnetic materials. The model JSM-7001FTTLS LV also features low vacuum operation and a large specimen exchange airlock.

Dynasil Corporation of America has announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has approved seven of its Phase-II SBIR projects for awards, ranging from $750,000 to $1,000,000 each. The awards, totaling $6.2 million, are being made to its wholly owned subsidiary, Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc ("RMD"), to develop its state of the art nuclear sensors and instruments.

MesoCoat is pleased to announce that it has acquired exclusive commercial rights to the high density infrared surface modification technology IP Portfolio from UT-Battelle, LLC. This breakthrough surface engineering technology was developed over the last decade at the infrared processing center, part of the industrial materials division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Through technology transfer collaboration efforts and licensing of multiple patents, MesoCoat is commercializing this revolutionary technology which enables the application of coatings and cladding materials at rates 1-2 orders of magnitude faster, and with better quality than alternate processes such as laser or weld cladding or furnace processing.

Park Systems, the AFM technology leader and preferred nanotechnology solutions partner, launched a brand new website this month. The website, www.parkafm.com, is an interactive, visitor-focused site. Many of the design features of the new website were made in direct response to the requests received from customers around the world.

Analytik Jena AG has won two orders for the delivery to China of 20 atom absorption spectrometry devices.

Asylum Research, a technology leader in scanning probe/atomic force microscopy (AFM/SPM), announced today that it has delivered a dual system order for a Cypher™ AFM and an MFP-3D-BIO™ AFM to the University of Melbourne's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Dr. Raymond Dagastine's group will use the Asylum AFMs to develop nano-scale experiments and theories to measure and predict interactions, collisions, and coalescence between droplets and bubbles that underpin innovative applications of foams and emulsions and other soft matter materials. The approach provides a "front seat" view of how drops or bubbles collide in solution and how the physical mechanisms are dependent on the types of molecules coating their interfaces.

NanoSight, world-leading manufacturers of unique nanoparticle characterization technology will host an interactive webinar on the subject of the characterization of protein aggregation. It will be held on Thursday 9th September, 0700 PDT, 1000 EDT, 1500 BST, then again live, two hours later at 0900 PDT, 1200 EDT, 1700 BST.

 

The University of Southern California announced today that Michelle Povinelli, a member of the faculty of the Viterbi School of Engineering, has been recognized by MIT Technology Review magazine as one of the world's top innovators under the age of 35 for her research on the optical properties of nano-structured materials.

Imec and KLA Tencor have established a metrology method for optimizing the etch rate uniformity (ERU) in a transformer coupled plasma (TCP) reactor. The proposed metrology method makes use of PVx2 sensor wafers. For ion-assisted etch processes, the use of this PVx2-based method for ERU tuning results in lot-turn time savings of up to 80% compared to conventional etch rate uniformity tests.

In a development that holds potential for both data storage and biomedical imaging, Ohio State University researchers have used a new technique to obtain the highest-ever resolution MRI scan of the inside of a magnet.

A collaborative team of applied scientists from Harvard University and the University of Leeds have demonstrated a new terahertz (THz) semiconductor laser that emits beams with a much smaller divergence than conventional THz laser sources. The advance, published in the August 8th issue of Nature Materials, opens the door to a wide range of applications in terahertz science and technology. Harvard has filed a broad patent on the invention.

A wrench or a screwdriver of a single size is useful for some jobs, but for a more complicated project, you need a set of tools of different sizes. Following this guiding principle, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have engineered a nanoscale fluidic device that functions as a miniature "multi-tool" for working with nanoparticles—objects whose dimensions are measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter.

A Cardiff University researcher has secured a highly sought-after Leadership award which could propel her research onto the world stage.

Dr Paola Borri, Cardiff School of Biosciences, is a physicist working in the area of biophotonics at the interface between life and physical sciences.

 

On a quest to discover new states of matter, a team of Princeton University scientists has found that electrons on the surface of specific materials act like miniature superheroes, relentlessly dodging the cliff-like obstacles of imperfect microsurfaces, sometimes moving straight through barriers.

 

Imec sets major step towards 20nm half pitch interconnects with the realization of electrically functional copper lines embedded into silicon oxide using a spacer-defined double patterning approach.ing a spacer-defined double patterning approach.