Don Eigler and Erhard Schweizer demonstrated controlled positioning of individual atoms with a scanning tunnelling microscope in 1990. Their apparatus moved adsorbed xenon atoms across a nickel crystal surface at 4 kelvin and assembled designed atomic structures. The low temperature limited unwanted atomic motion, while the scanning tunnelling microscope supplied both manipulation and subsequent imaging. This connected the ability to observe single atoms with the ability to build a chosen arrangement of them.[ref]
Portrait of Don Eigler
. AlmadenJenny; own photograph (upload history also names Jenny Hunter). Worldwide public-domain dedication by the copyright holder (PD-self); not a CC license grant., via Wikimedia Commons. Source.
Don Eigler is an American physicist and a leading figure in the field of nanotechnology and atomic-scale manipulation. He is best known for his work at IBM's Almaden Research Center, where he famously demonstrated the ability to manipulate individual atoms using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). In 1989, Eigler and his team created the first-ever arrangement of individual atoms to spell out the letters "IBM," showcasing the potential for precise control at the atomic level.
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