Nano-Whatever: Do We Really Know Where We Are Heading?

Abstract

The title of my talk seems to indicate a certain skepticism, and one might wonder whether in old age I have turned into a pessimist who no longer believes in a bright future. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I share the optimism of many of those who are actually actively involved in developing the field, be it in physics, technology, or applications (like many at this conference). My skepticism pertains to the unbelievable hype that has arisen, during the last decade, about the “nano-whatever” field, a hype that exceeds anything I have encountered during my 50 years in solidstate physics and technology. The prefix nano suddenly gets attached to everything (this conference is no exception), and we are deluged with predictions about fantastic future applications, often promised for the immediate future.