‘World’s Tiniest Violin’ Etched at Loughborough University

Physicists from Loughborough use nanotechnology to create a 35-micron violin, opening the door for advances in energy harvesting and computing.

It might not be appropriate to voice your grievances at Loughborough University regarding your schedule or tests.

The university's physicists claim that they have made the tiniest violin in history using nanotechnology. Improvements in the small device, which has a diameter similar to a human hair, they say, would help research into a range of applications, from improving computer efficiency to finding new ways of energy harvesting.

Many of the lessons they've learned along the way have actually prepared the way for the study they're currently conducting, according to Prof. Kelly Morrison, head of the university's physics department.

A micron is one millionth of a meter, while the violin is 35 microns long and 13 microns broad. For instance, a human hair's diameter normally falls between 17 and 180 microns. It was made to put the university's new nanolithography system—which enables researchers to construct and examine minuscule structures—to the test.

According to Professor Morrison, they can create tests that use light, magnetism, or electricity to probe materials and see how they react thanks to their nanolithography method. They can begin using their understanding of material behavior to create new technologies, such as more efficient computers or innovative energy harvesting methods. However, they must first comprehend the underlying science, which this system makes possible.

According to the university, the violin has not been formally acknowledged as the tiniest violin in the world since it is a tiny picture rather than a playable instrument.

Prof. Morrison, Dr. Naëmi Leo, and Arthur Coveney created a chip with two gel-like resist layers. They etched a violin pattern onto the chip using thermal scanning probe lithography and the NanoFrazor, a nano-sculpting tool. A violin-shaped hole was left after the underlayer was dissolved during etching.