Later an identical paperweight will be presented to Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Science Committee.
The flag and the White House images were produced using advanced photolithographic tools in the National Science Foundation-supported Cornell Nanoscale Facility.
All told, the chip features 15 monochrome images of the White House flanked by six full-color American flags, embedded with microscopic features that reflect the colors of the stars and stripes. There are three visible White House images and a dozen nano-size ones, 500 microns wide and 225 microns high (a micron is one-thousandth of a millimeter), that appear as dots without magnification. All the White House images are flying an American flag.
GOVERNMENT DOWNSIZING: A microphoto of the chip design, with enlarged versions of the flag portion. (Photos copyright © Cornell University) |
The nanofabricated American flags and White Houses were created by Cornell research associates Scott Stelick and Madanagopal Kunnavakkam, both of whom work in Batt's laboratory. The chip was made to honor the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, which authorizes four-year funding for nanotechnology research starting in 2005. The legislation, introduced by Boehlert, creates programs supported by the National Nanotechnology Initiative.
For more information, visit: www.cornell.edu