Nanostructure Fabrication Glossary

Diblock copolymer: A diblock-copolymer consists of two polymer chains covalently bonded on one end.

Electron beam: An electron beam is a tool used in microlithography. To find out more about them, visit this site or this one.

Interdigitated Electrode: Electrode in which digit-like extensions interweave (see illustration on right).
Mesoscopic: Mesoscopic scale refers to objects larger than an atom, but smaller than anything that can be manipulated with human hands - roughly between 10 and 10000 nanometers in diameter. We hope that our work will facilitate and encourage engineering on a mesoscopic scale.

Micron: A micron is a unit of distance one millionth of a meter long. It is also known as a micrometer.

Nanometer: A nanometer is a unit of distance one one-billionth of a meter long. There are one million nanometers in a millimeter, and about twenty-five million nanometers in every inch. There are half a million of the pictured stripes in an inch.
It's a stunningly small unit of length, which is why the concept of engineering on that scale has met with some skepticism. But nanotechnology isn't just a dream of science fiction writers; it's an object of very real research by ever-increasing numbers of scientists.
Polymer: This site provides a good layman's definition of polymers.

Quantum Wire: A wire that is so thin that wave properties of electrons (like reflection and interference) are needed to understand how the current passes through them. This site and this site have references and images of quantum wires.

Transmission Electron Microscope: A transmission electron microscope was used to make the images displayed on these pages. More details about how one works and what one is can be found at this site.