With the advance of micro and nanotechnology progress is made in many fields of technology. Examples of this are given from work at the MESA+ Institute for nanotechnology at the University of Twente, where the author worked up to 2008. The progress is really amazing and there is real reason for being optimistic about the role of technology for future human development. But technology alone is not able to guarantee well-being as there is also guidance needed to use the new technology according to human dignity. The ethical dimension, therefore, is of great importance and should be considered and studied together with the technological aspects. Only in this way nanotechnology can provide a solid foundation of welfare of human beings. The talk was presented on June 22, 2007 at the European Meeting of university professors in Rome.

1. man and micro-
nanotechnology
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 1 date: 22 June 2007

2. European Meeting of University Professors
A new Humanism for Europe: the role of Universities
Rome, 21-24 June 2007
WORKSHOP C2: Centrality of Human Being in the Universe
Relation between man and micro-
nano-technology
Alfred Driessen
MESA+ Institute, Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
http://ioms.ewi.utwente.nl
e-mail (2011): Driessen.Alfred@gmail.com
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 2 date: 22 June 2007

3. Content
1. Introduction
2. Examples of micro/nanotechnology
3. An optimistic view on the role of technology
4. The need of ethical considerations
5. Conclusions
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 3 date: 22 June 2007

4. 6 transistor radio (~1965)
Back to the sixties:
6 transistor radio
price: 2 hours of workman
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 4 date: 22 June 2007

5. Moore's law
today: 1,000,000,000 transistors in a single PC
price: 20 hours of workman
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 5 date: 22 June 2007

6. The fabrication of an electronic chip
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 6 date: 22 June 2007

7. The fabrication of an electronic chip
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 7 date: 22 June 2007

8. Can we look into future?
With regards to technology: yes, we can!
time schedule for implementation
year x: discovery of scientific phenomenon
year x+10: demonstration of application in laboratory
year x+20: start of commercial production
year x+30: impact on society visible
year x+??: ethical and juridical aspects studied & solved
Let's look for micro/nanotechnology now!
Xenon atoms on nickel (Don Eigler, IBM)
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 8 date: 22 June 2007

9. “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom”
“What I want to talk about is the problem of manipulating and
controlling things on a small scale.”
Richard P. Feynman (1960)
“As soon as I mention this, people tell me… about electric motors
that are the size of a finger nail, and that there is a device on the
market which can write the Lord’s prayer on the head of a pin.
“But that’s nothing; that’s most primitive” I want to discuss the
staggeringly small world below.”
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 9 date: 22 June 2007

10. “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom”
close-up of a
human hair
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 10 date: 22 June 2007

11. What is NANO?
Smallest 2003 1970
nanotube lithography transistors transistors
130 nm
atom
DNA
protein cell
virus
1Å 1 nm 10 nm 100 nm 1 μm 10 μm
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 11 date: 22 June 2007

12. Scanning Tunneling Microscope
1986
H. Rohrer G. Binnig
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 12 date: 22 June 2007

13. ‘Quantum coral’
56 iron atoms on cupper
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 13 date: 22 June 2007

14. Reading of nano-structures
Multiple probes
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 14 date: 22 June 2007

15. Writing with molecules
Nano-pattern writing by transport of molecules by water meniscus
Mirkin group Northwestern University
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 15 date: 22 June 2007

16. Lab on a Chip
1970
1980
1990
2003
2006
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 16 date: 22 June 2007

17. Lab on a Chip
Fluidics channels Micro tweezers
Nano-sieve
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 17 date: 22 June 2007

18. Example: CO2 sensor
CO2 CO2 H+ P V
Advantages
• No reference electrode
• Small thus integratable
in a catheter
• Easily accepted in the
medical field
BIOS, UTwente
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 18 date: 22 June 2007

19. Example: CO2 sensor
Pressure
sensor
Dimensions
2.9x0.9x0.7 mm3
Porous cover
Gas permeable
membrane
PCB stick
BIOS, UTwente
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 19 date: 22 June 2007

20. CO2 sensor, future developments
Clinical trials -> constructing prototype catheter
in cooperation with a company
and Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST)
Diameter: 2 mm
BIOS, UTwente
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 20 date: 22 June 2007

21. Nanomechano-optical interaction
Transmission Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (T-SNOM)
Exploit the tip-induced disturbance for field mapping
T-SNOM setup • Raster scanning the probe
over the sample
• Record the transmission at
each probe position
Device (SEM image)
input output
W.C.L. Hopman, et al., Opt. Express 14, 8745-8752 (2006) 1 mm
W.C.L. Hopman et al., JLT (accepted 2007)
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 21 date: 22 June 2007

22. Nanomechano-optical interaction
The exact location of
the resonator “hot spots”
can be found by combining
both AFM (height) and
optical data
possible applications:
nanosensor
nano-optical switch
1 μm
W. C. L. Hopman et al., “Nano-mechanical tuning and imaging of a
photonic crystal micro-cavity resonance,” Optics Express 14, 8745-8752 (2006).
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 22 date: 22 June 2007

23. Optical communication: wavelength router
1x1 cm2 area of mask picture of processed device
(lithography done in cooperation with ASML) 1.4 x 1.6 mm2
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 23 date: 22 June 2007

24. Optical communication: wavelength router
Pigtailed and packaged device
Klein et al. 2006
with thanks to ASML
and BSIK, Broadband Access
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 24 date: 22 June 2007

25. Optical switch based on ring resonators
Ronald Dekker, MESA+
pump pulse: off pump pulse: on picture of device
area: 0.004 x 0.003 mm2
<1 ps switching time, > 200 Gbit/s data-rate
R. Dekker et al., Optics Express, Vol. 14 (18), pp 8336-8346, 2006.
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 25 date: 22 June 2007

26. What can we espect within a generation?
•unlimited tele-presence, audio, video (later including smell and touch)
in field of:
• entertainment
• education
• health and care
• safety
•creation of a virtual world with unlimited access
•"intelligence" everywhere: at home, in office, on road
•cheap work power - robots - available for routine tasks
•sensor networks enabling efficient use of energy and other resources
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 26 date: 22 June 2007

27. Current impact of nano/micro technology
apparatus for personal use:
• computers: PC's everywhere, at least one per person
• mobile phone
• MP3 player
• USB memory stick
• navigation system
• broad-band access
• (nearly) free communication
• internet
• digital camera
globalization
• cost of factory of advanced electronic ICs : 5 000 000 000 $
• same software and hardware used worldwide
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 27 date: 22 June 2007

28. An example of history
Thomas Robert Malthus:
On population (1798)
main hypothesis:
Unchecked population growth always exceeds
the growth of means of subsistence.
some numbers:
Great Britain world
population 10 000 000 <1 000 000 000
1798
population 60 000 000 >6 000 000 000
2007
population growth in Great Britain in 19th century: 4 x
growth of national product: 14 x
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 28 date: 22 June 2007

29. An example of history
Paul Kennedy:
Preparing for the twenty-first century (1993)
Why was Malthus wrong?
Malthus did not foresee:
•migration
•increased agricultural productivity
•industrialization
more in general:
Malthus ignored dynamics of system
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 29 date: 22 June 2007

30. The anthropic principle
Brendon Carter (1973)
The Universe (and hence the fundamental
parameters on which it depends) must be such as
to admit the creation of observers within it at some
stage.
A generalized version of the anthropic principle
The Universe (and hence its evolution in time) is
such that man always will develop the technology
and culture needed to live according to human
dignity.
Example of an actual challenge: energy
Fossil fuels have been stored during million of years to provide an
easy accessible energy source for humanity during 1-2 centuries.
Thereafter man will have had time to develop alternative technologies.
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 30 date: 22 June 2007

31. A too optimistic view?
Scientific and technological knowledge: fundamentally good
but: with new technologies:
•new weapons for aggressive wars
•new totalitarian systems
•new forms of intimidation and criminal behavior
•new forms of addiction and abuse
•new forms of exploitation
•enormous control (manipulation) of behavior of individuals
and groups
needed: ethical assessment and support
ethics is art to make good use of the technology
new scientific journal: NanoEthics (Springer)
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 31 date: 22 June 2007

32. An important distinction
Further development of science and technology is
necessary for the current and future world population to
live according to human dignity,
but it is not sufficient,
it is a necessary condition, conditio sine qua non.
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 32 date: 22 June 2007

33. How to make good use of technology?
1) Create conditions for the dialogue between experts in
technique and humanity (ethics)
characteristics
expert in technology expert in humanity
specialist generalist
trained in science and trained in humanities
technology
layman in ethical aspects layman in technical aspects
industry & business (semi-) government and
ngo
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 33 date: 22 June 2007

34. How to make good use of technology?
2) work out scenarios for the introduction of new
technologies
incl. economic, juridical, pedagogical, psychological, sociologic and
ethical aspects
3) anticipate on opportunities and threats
example:
use of multimedia and internet by children and youth
•educate for convenient use
•prevent addiction
•protect against unwanted contacts
•recognize long-term consequences of intense use of multimedia on
health (RSI, obesity), social behavior, creativity, concentration, etc.
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 34 date: 22 June 2007

35. Conclusions
We just have made a begin with the application of
micro/nano technology
There is reason for optimism of the technological
development by man
There is urgent need to study and implement ethical
issues of the application of new technologies.
Acknowledgments:
Albert van den Berg, Dave Blank of MESA+
Ronald Dekker, Wico Hopman, Edwin Klein of IOMS-MESA+
affiliation (2007)
Integrated Optical Micro Systems (IOMS)
man_and_nanotech.ppt slide 35 date: 22 June 2007