Tip-based nanomanufacturing by electrical, chemical, mechanical and thermal processes

Nanomanufactured products with higher complexities in function, materials, scales and their integration demand an increasing need for advanced manufacturing tools. It is driven by applications such as ultra-dense memory, individualized biomedicine and drug delivery, molecular reading and sorting, and nanoscale circuitry. The tip-based nanomanufacturing (TBN) platform represents a potent gamut of processes for such applications-performing various nanoscale manufacturing operations including machining, depositing, patterning, and assembling with in situ metrology and visualization. This keynote paper presents a comprehensive overview of TBN processes based upon "nanotool tips" applying electrical, electrochemical, mechanical, electromagnetic and other forces to perform manufacturing operations. © 2010 CIRP.