Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanoengineering

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

Lecture/laboratory course designed to introduce first-year students to some of the ideas and concepts of nanoscience and nanotechnology with stronger emphasis on nanobiotechnology in the spring semester. Topics include nanoscience and nanotechnology-what they are and why they are of interest; atoms and molecules; the solid state; surfaces; behavior of light and material particles when confined to nanoscale dimensions; scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM); microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design; basic micromachining and chemical synthesis methods, i.e., top-down and bottom-up approaches to nanofabrication; how to manipulate structures on the nanoscale; physical laws and limits they place on the nanoworld; some far-out ideas. In the laboratory, students construct a simple STM to record atomic resolution images; learn through hands on experience the basic workings of an SEM; use a MEMS computer-aided design software package to model the entire manufacturing sequence of a simple MEMS device, examine the simulated behavior of the device and compare it with real behavior; investigate the optical properties of quantum dots and the unexpected properties of fluids that flow through narrow channels.