Jim_Day.XSIS@xerox.com (12/19/90)
According to an article in the 7 December issue of Science, physicist Don Eigler of IBM's Almaden Research Center has developed a method of picking up atoms and moving them. Previously, Eigler had moved Xenon atoms on a nickel surface by dragging them with the tip of an STM. By applying a positive voltage to the STM tip, he is now able to pick up an individual atom. Applying a negative voltage releases the atom. Urs Staufer, at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, has used an STM to melt fine lines on the surface of a glassy metal, creating patterns a few nanometers in width. Mark McCord, another IBM researcher, has used an STM to create tiny magnets 20 nanometers wide by 80 nanometers in height.