Engineering Small Worlds: Micro and Nano Technologies

1. Use the contents checklist in your first course mailing to make sure you have received everything you need for this stage of the course.

2. Familiarize yourself with the course's Presentation Schedule and add to it your dates for your tutorials or other activities.

3. Read through this course guide carefully, especially Section 6 which provides details of the course assessment.

4. You must register with an internet service provider (ISP) - if you are not already registered - and familiarize yourself with connecting your computer to the internet.

5. Make sure you know how to locate The Open University of Hong Kong homepage. This is a page of links to OUHK administrative and course sites. The URL is: http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/

6. Establish your access to the ENGG S356 OLE (course website, see section 5). Once you have accessed the ENGG S356 OLE, I suggest that you save the address as 'Favorites' or 'Bookmark'.

This course examines the development of micro and nano scale devices in terms of their engineering and operation. Mechanical, electrical, chemical and biological engineering of these 'small worlds' is revolutionizing our lives through devices smaller than the eye can see. Aspects of this 'unseen' engineering are investigated in the light of scientific principles and the practical constraints they impose. A selection of applications, chosen to illustrate how engineering solutions are achieved on the micro and nano scales, is described. Micro and nano technologies are extremely broad subjects and it would be impossible to cover every aspect in a single course. The course has been designed to give an idea of the breadth of the subjects through the Introductory study block and then certain aspects or topics of study are covered in more depth through the more specialized Blocks 1, 2 and 3 that follow.

A breakdown of the Introductory study block and Block 1 materials is given in Section 4. Details of Blocks 2 and 3 will follow in future mailing(s).

Introductory study block

We have provided some introductory readings and resources to lead the way into the world of micro and nano technology. The readings aim to illustrate the breadth of the subject and provide background information that will set the scene for the blocks that follow. An assignment is associated with this study block.

Block 1 Structural and inertial devices

The techniques of micro and nano fabrication have been successfully applied to a wide range of mechanical, electromechanical and purely structural devices. The first half of this block takes an example of an atomic scale device whose exact form is crucial to its performance. Through examining the details of the manufacturing techniques available and how they affect both the composition and the shape of the device, you will discover just how inextricably the design of the device itself is connected to the methods used in its manufacture. The second half goes a stage further, and looks at an inertial sensor, so unrecognizable as to demand an answer to the question 'why are successful micro and nano engineered devices not simply miniature, scaled-down versions of their conventional counterparts' Indeed, they cannot be so. The laws of nature, although universal, make the world at these small scales quite alien to our common experience.

Block 2 Optoelectronic devices for digital pictures

The success of the microelectronics industry, thus far, has been based upon the use of a very shallow layer of semiconductor. The need for increased performance in silicon-based microelectronics has driven the manufacture of ever-smaller components, packed more closely together, over wider areas. By its fiftieth birthday, silicon-based electronics had become miniaturized to the point where an electronically captured copy of an optical image could compete commercially with conventional film and photocopier technologies. This block explores the technology behind digital imaging. It also reveals how various electrical manipulations of organic molecules provide the means to render such electronic images instantly visible, once again combining fine, shallow structures extending over relatively large areas. The optoelectronic revolution has turned our world inside out.

Block 3 Working with nature: the cell as an engineering system

Nature provides us with a stunning array of highly sophisticated nanoscale 'machinery', including finely-tuned structural materials, highly sensitive sensors, molecular motors and information storage systems. The nanomachines found in living cells tend to be soft, wet and sticky. In this block you will see how these designs are ideally suited to the nanoscale and appreciate how molecules are able to 'self-assemble', to produce complex structures from the bottom up. Practical examples will be used to demonstrate how principles similar to those that operate in Nature can be applied, both for constructing nanoscale devices and also for interacting with biological systems at the molecular level.

Each block consists of three separate texts. The main text of the block contains the core course content and you will be led through this by the narrative contained within. Each block is restricted to focusing on a few key aspects or topics in order that they can be studied in some depth. The devices chosen for study in each block have been selected from a vast array of possibilities. Rather than cataloguing all the work that has been done in the field, this course concentrates on the principles that constrain the design of micro and nano scale devices, as illustrated by these few examples.

Each block's main text is supported by two texts which are referred to as 'wings' - one of these covers Principles and the other Techniques. Each wing can consist of a number of sections, articles or other resources. The parts of a wing may form part of the binding or be from a supplied article. The Presentation Schedule indicates when each item should be studied. The Principles wing covers some underpinning scientific principles supporting the engineering in the main text. The Techniques wing describes some of the methods used to put micro and nano technologies into action. They are presented from a practitioner's viewpoint. Some of the writing in these sections contains quite complex chemistry. You are not expected to be able to derive or remember these chemical formulae, but instead to recognize the different 'recipes' and the uses of each for engineering at small scales.

The main block will direct you towards relevant sections of the wings at appropriate points. If you follow these directions, you will eventually read every section in both wings. Each section within the wings is self-contained and can be studied independently of the other sections. Alternatively, you may choose to study a whole wing in one go. The information provided in the wings is designed to accumulate. For example, part of a topic presented during Block I study may well be useful to later study in Blocks 2 and 3. In order to group wing topics in a cohesive manner not all of a wing section may be required immediately for the relevant block section, but it will all be useful support for later study.
Material contained in the Principles and Techniques wings is assessable in the same way as the core course content in the main texts.

You may have met some of the topics covered in the Principles wing before and if so the material will serve as revision in that area. However, topics may be treated from a different perspective to that which you may be familiar with and some are likely to be completely new to you.

Figure 1 illustrates the structure of the course.

Figure 1 Outline of course structure

The printed block texts (main texts and wings) contain the core course content and its associated principles and techniques, together with self-assessment tasks to aid your study. These are accompanied by computer-based resources on the DVDs and on the OLE. The discussion board system is provided on OLE for sharing ideas with other students and for additional learning support from your tutor.

4.1 Resources for the Introductory study block

Introductory readings and audio programmes are provided for you to study before you start work on the other blocks. You will need to read through and listen to these resources in order to complete Assignment 01. Learning outcomes for this block are listed later in this course guide. Study time has been allocated in the Presentation Schedule for you to complete this and Assignment 01 will be based on these materials.

Understanding Nanotechnology (book)

The book Understanding Nanotechnology contains a series of articles from the journal Scientific American covering a broad spectrum of micro and nano technologies. It is provided so that you can begin to become familiar with the terminology and breadth of the subject. The book contains small black and white illustrations instead of the full color figures in the original articles.

Small Worlds (audio)

Three radio programmes entitled Small Worlds, recorded by BBC Radio 4, are included in the introductory study. They are narrated by the science author Philip Ball who has written several books on the subject. The programmes include interviews from workers in the field of nanotechnology from laboratories around the world. These programmes are quite general in their nature and are intended to illustrate examples of nanotechnology in action. The first two programmes are on Audio CD 1 and the third is on Audio CD 2.

'Nanoscience and nanotechnologies: opportunities and uncertainties' -Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering (report)

In June 2003 the UK government commissioned the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering to carry out an independent study into current and future developments in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Part of the remit of this study was to identity the health and safety and environmental implications arising from the use of the technologies. The report provides useful definitions and background information.

'There's plenty of room at the bottom' -Richard Feynman (article)

In 1959 Richard Feynman gave a talk entitled 'There's plenty of room at the bottom' which was published as an article in Engineering and Science magazine the following year. This article is now viewed by many as a defining moment in nanotechnology and provided a vision of what was to come. Feynman had already realized that the coming together of physics, chemistry and biology was a natural consequence of engineering applications at the nanoscale and this article addresses some of the issues raised with Feynman's typical humor.

Assignment 01, which is a half-weighted assignment, will be based on the above readings and audio programmes.

4.1.1 A note about scale

In the articles above and in some other course materials you will see reference to the unit of measurement called a 'micron'. This term is often used by practitioners in the field. The unit is exactly the same as the micrometer (10–6 m) which you are probably more familiar with. The unit Angstrom (A) is also used in places and is the same as 0.1 nm (10–10 m).

4.2 Resources for Block 1 Structural and inertial devices

The items supplied for Block 1 study are listed below.

Main text
Principles wing
Techniques wing
Audio programme

The second programme on Audio CD 2, 'Working with structural and inertial devices', investigates micro and nano engineering related to structural and inertial systems. Relationships to other parts of the course are also explored.

Video programme

The video programme 'The atomic force microscope (AFM)' illustrates the working of the atomic force microscope and investigates some of the applications and potential future uses. The programme looks at the imaging of an AFM tip using a scanning electron microscope; a leading AFM supplier's perspective on the operation and uses of AFMs; and use of the AFM for the study of DNA at The Open University.

4.3 The Presentation Schedule

The Presentation Schedule is a quick reference wallchart to keep you up to date. The printed block texts are not all the same length, so they will take different amounts of time to study. The calendar also shows the other resources – audio and video, as well as articles -that you should set aside time to explore, and gives the dates when assignments are due.

4.4 The block texts

The majority of your learning will come from the printed block texts provided in course mailings. Each text consists of a main narrative supplemented by inputs . Inputs are used to supply subsidiary or additional information without disturbing the narrative thread of the main text. They contain useful information, however, and you should ensure that you read all the material in both the main text and in the inputs. How you approach this is up to you: either read the inputs as they are flagged, or return to them at the end of a section.

Within the text, you will find examples, exercises and self-assessment questions (abbreviated as SAQs).

An example invites you to follow the working in applying, say, an equation or other point of reasoning.

An exercise requires you to pause, do some work on your own and then check to see if you have reached the same answer as the author. Answers to exercises are given at the back of each text. Exercises are provided to extend your involvement in the learning process.

The self-assessment questions (SAQs) are linked to the overall learning outcomes for each block and are provided for you to test your knowledge and understanding of the material you have read. Answers to SAQs are provided at the back of each text.

You should tackle examples, exercises and SAQs as you come across them. They play an important part in developing your understanding of the course material.

4.5 Supplementary material

The course will have a number of supplementary text materials, such as this course guide, the Presentation Schedule, the Specimen Examination Paper, etc. These will not be bound or 'glossy' like the block texts. Each mailing will have a contents checklist and you should check that all items on that list are included in the mailing.

We hope that there will be few Stop Presses. But if these are sent to you and involve making corrections to any printed material already in your possession, you are strongly advised to make the amendment immediately and to write a date against it.

4.6 Computer-based resources

Resources in the DVDs include articles, video clips, software and animations. The DVD has its own navigation window to enable you to find the resources you seek easily.

These additional resources have been chosen to help you achieve the learning outcomes in the relevant block. If it is not convenient to switch between text and other materials, don't stop studying. Just remember to return to complete all scheduled tasks before you do the associated assignments. This course guide and the Presentation Schedule will help you to check all necessary items have been studied.

4.6.1 Software

Some blocks have associated software that comes in a variety of styles. Software can be accessed through a main 'home' page menu system.

The course is supported by the OUHK Online Learning Environment (OLE). The use of the OLE is compulsory. That means that the OLE platform is the primary means of communication. Documents such as the assignment file and stop presses will be distributed via the OLE only.

Included in the first mailing is a guide to the OLE. It is a good to check the OLE regularly. You are also encouraged to participate in the discussion group of the course.

Tutors in this course will be designated as "online tutor", with the additional task of overseeing the discussion group: to stimulate your thoughts, and also to monitor the discussion.

The overall course score is made up of two components:

6.1 Continuous assessment

Continuous assessment consists of four assignments. Please note that the assignment files will be available for download from the OLE only. They will not be sent to you by post.

All assignments are summative; that is, the marks awarded go towards your overall continuous assessment score (OCAS).

You are encouraged to submit your assignments according to schedule. If you foresee difficulties in completing the assignment, please contact your tutor for help early on.

If you find you cannot meet the deadline, please apply for extension before the cut-off date. For the three Assignments 01 to 03, your tutor has the authority to give you up to 7 days' extension, provided the application is made before the assignment cut-off date, and your application for extension was substantiated with a good reason. Please note that there will be no extensions to the cut-off date for the last Assignment 04. This is so that the marked assignments with tutor's comments can be returned to you as a reference in time for preparation for the examination.

6.2 Final examination

The final examination is a written paper of three hours. A Specimen Examination Paper is included in the Mailing 1 which resembles the actual paper in style and format. There are no trick questions on the examination paper.

The examination is three hours long.

We hope you will enjoy studying this course and find it to be a rewarding experience. Any feedback would be welcomed, either through your tutor, or directly to the course team via the ENGG S356 OLE.

Enjoy your study of ENGG S356 Engineering small worlds: micro and nano technologies.