The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and University of Colorado will host a workshop in August 2007 in Boulder, CO to identify and discuss materials characterization and metrology issues of critical importance to assessing and improving the reliability of small-scale structures/materials for the next 5 to 10 years. To achieve this, plenary lectures, a poster session, and breakout discussion groups involving participants representing industry, national labs, government agencies, and academia will survey the state of the art in specific application areas dependent on materials characterization and identify critical research issues prevalent in nanoscale materials science. A roadmap of key technical issues associated with characterizing reliability of nanoscale materials and structures, and possible approaches to solution will be developed and disseminated in the form of a NIST Special Publication that will be made available to the public.
The realization of useful devices, structures, and materials at the nanometer scale promises to facilitate diverse applications ranging from biotechnology to energy and infrastructure security. This realization, though, is currently limited by numerous materials science and engineering barriers centered on nanoscale reliability. This workshop offers an opportunity to congeal promising lines of inquiry and stimulate new thinking regarding realizable nanotechnology.
