Bridging the gap: Perspectives of nanofabrication technologies for application-oriented research

Next to powders, inks, and microelectronics, many technologies that carry the attribute nano in their name are still waiting for their breakthrough and wide acceptance in engineering and industry. At least nanofabrication technologies are the subject of a vivid track in research and development in a variety of scientific fields but yet most of them are mainly invisible in everyday products. This paper aims to describe three inspiring examples of research work in the area of nanopatterning and systems integration at the micro-nano interface to motivate applications with new and unprecedented functionalities. The application examples comprise the fields of bio-inspired computing, optoelectronic sensing, and spectral imaging. First, network-based biocomputing uses biological agents in a nanopatterned fluidic channel system and opens horizons for energy-efficient solutions to complex mathematical problems. Second, nanoelectronic devices based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged because of the outstanding mechanical, electronic, and optical properties of the CNTs. The adaptivity of nanostructures to the world of biological molecules and other nanoscopic building blocks such as quantum dots and nanoparticles enables novel, even personalized, devices and technical solutions. Third, early-on “nano” fame has been devoted to optical effects—the authors here discuss an advanced integrated micro-opto-mechanical system on a micromirror plate forming a Fabry–Pérot Interferometer.