IBM uses nanotechnology to craft miniscule art

It's not like we haven't seen art on silicon before, nor is IBM any stranger to the more bizarre world of design, but the firm is nevertheless "touting one of the tiniest pieces of art ever made." The project, which consists of an "image of the sun made from 20,000 microscopic particles of gold," was reportedly "etched on a silicon chip wafer" with a process that managed particles some 60-nanometers in diameter. Of course, IBM isn't planning on entering the abstract art business anytime soon, but the achievement could purportedly pave the way for "high-performance transistors in molecular-scale chips" while "leading to a nanotech race inside IBM and rival companies."

[Image courtesy of BBC, thanks ssuk]

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 11th 2007 9:08AM]

How many angels could they etch onto the head of a pin?

[chych @ Sep 11th 2007 9:56AM]

The head of a pin is huge, probably millions. The sharp part a pin too, is huge.

Anyways this story is useless without pictures!!!!

[Ayle @ Sep 11th 2007 10:13AM]

So true....

[ssuk @ Sep 11th 2007 10:08AM]

pictures: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6988998.stm

[cynyc @ Sep 11th 2007 10:32AM]

An image of the sun isn't abstract art, it's representational...

[NHAnimator @ Sep 11th 2007 11:47AM]

DaVinci just shuddered.

[radalex @ Sep 11th 2007 12:19PM]

1 inch = 25,400,000 nanometers
1 gold particle = 60 nanometers = 1 'dot'

image resolution = 423,333 dpi ? decent.

is my math correct here? it's pretty early in the AM for me.

[jimmyfinch @ Sep 11th 2007 9:16PM]

(25,400,000 x 25,400,000) / (60 x 60) =

179,211,111,111 dots per square inch

[711 @ Sep 11th 2007 12:53PM]

New method of authenticating rolexes?