Tiny Tech #53 Making Tiny Patterns with Lasers and Nanoparticles?
Today from the world of Tiny Tech:
Scientists and engineers are always trying to develop better ways to make patterns on surfaces. Such patterns are the basis for how lots of things work, from computer chips to DVDs. In one recently invented way to make tiny patterns, a surface is first coated with very tiny silver particles, called nanoparticles. Think of a surface coated with a thin layer of dust, except that the silver nanoparticles are 1000 times smaller than household dust. Then the layer of silver nanoparticles is exposed to a laser beam. At a moderate laser power, the beam causes the nanoparticles to melt together into a smooth silver film. At a higher laser power, the beam blasts the nanoparticles off the surface. In both cases, by controlling where the laser beam hits the surface, precise patterns of silver metal – such as dots, lines, and grids – can be created. Although today this technique is still a laboratory curiosity, someday it might be used to make electronic devices, sensors, or solar panels.
The results just go to show that – in addition to making light of something – you can make something out of light!
Tiny Tech is made possible by the National Science Foundation and WUFT. To learn more about Tiny Tech, go to tinytechradio.org.
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