micromachine
noun
mi·cro·ma·chine
ˌmī-krō-mə-ˈshēn 
: a device or machine constructed on a microscopic scale
The hardest material, and one of the most chemically inert, diamond is extremely difficult to fabricate into electronic devices or micromachines.—
Physics Today
Physics Today
especially
: such a device constructed using the techniques of lithography
Unlike the way Swiss watches are made, silicon micromachines are built in one piece and ready to go. Their three-dimensional structures are created by stacking up a series of very thin, carefully detailed layers of silicon, each one deposited directly on the layer before. As a final step, acid etches away the in-between "sacrificial" layers to free the moving parts. —Doug Stewart
Doug Stewart Examples of micromachine in a Sentence
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Self-replicating micromachines (not discussed by Feynman) would unleash the magic of exponential growth, opening a new epoch in engineering.
—Frank Wilczek, WSJ, 25 Apr. 2018
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Frank Wilczek, WSJ, 25 Apr. 2018
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“Micromachine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/micromachine. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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