IBMhas announced two breakthroughs in
itsatomic
computingeffort.
The first new development is IBM research in understanding the
ability for single atoms to maintain a specific magnetic direction,
making them suitable for future data storage applications, said
IBM.
The second development is a logic switch between individual
atoms within a molecule and between molecules, delivering potential
building blocks for molecular computers.
In 1981, IBM scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics for their
design of the
Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM), which allowed the study
of individual atoms for the first time.
IBM then developed the
Atomic
Force Microscope (AFM) in 1986 to allow researchers to explore
and manipulate materials at the atomic level.