IBM stakes claim to nano-scale printer

IBM is hopeful that the breakthrough will help accelerate the development of nanotechnology

Researchers from IBM and ETH Zurich have developed a method for placing minuscule particles on a precise location.

The new technique delivers a printing resolution equivalent to 100,000 dots per inch (dpi). Current printers top out around 1,200-1,500 dpi.

The discovery could eventually allow for printing technology that could be used to create nano-scale wires or ultra-small lenses for use in optical chips.

Big Blue admitted that the technology is still years away from any commercial applications, but the company is hopeful that the breakthrough will help accelerate the development of nanotechnology.

"This method opens up new ways to precisely and efficiently position various kinds of nanoparticles on different surfaces," said IBM Zurich researcher Heiko Wolf.

"[This is] a prerequisite for exploiting the unique properties of such nanoparticles and for making their use economically feasible."

As current methods of constructing chips approach their limits, researchers have looked for new methods to continue shrinking chip sizes. IBM's latest discovery could help in that process.