Satoshi Yamasaki and Norio Tokuda, the Nanotechnology Research Institute
of the National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), in cooperation with Satoshi Gonda
et al. of the Dimensional Standards Section, Lengths and Dimensions Division,
the National Metrology Institute of Japan of AIST have fabricated a nanometer-sized
ruler to be used as a primary standard, which is integral to nanotechnology
research and production, by taking advantage of the crystal structure of diamond.
Today, research development of new materials and functions is widely advanced
making full use of nanotechnology, in which nanometer-sized substance and nanometer
level phenomena are studied, and innovative development of science and technology
is anticipated. However, the minimum scale of commercially available rulers
to serve as a basis of nanotechnology is approximately 10 nm, indicating that
a stable and accurate nanometer-sized ruler had not hitherto been materialized.
Advancing the diamond film technology as part of research in semiconductor diamond,
AIST has succeeded in fabricating a very stable and accurate ruler with a minimum
scale of 0.2 nm, which is 1/50 of the one currently available commercially.
The developed ruler is expected to be a global standard of nanometer-sized
length, and to contribute to nanotechnology.
The result of the research will be published in online edition of Applied Physics
Express, the Japan Society of Applied Physics, on April 17, 2009.
Posted July 16th, 2009
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