Strongly Textured Atomic Ridges = STAR Perfect-pitch embedded nanotube arrays with dimensions 100 times smaller than modern Integrated Circuits (ICs). "Atomic lithography" that physically amplifies (deepens) the normal surface morphology of any crystal. No chemical development, UV light, X-rays, or charged particles are involved. STAR is a hybrid technology used in conjunction with standard optical lithography. True nanometer sized structures are produced using standard silicon processing methods. No capital expenditures are required because no non-standard equipment is needed. A "new kind of material", with applications in electronics, physics, chemistry and biology. The broad basic patent underlying the STAR technology was issued by the USPTO on 12/23/2003. It has 115 allowed claims and they all derive from the first claim shown below. The claim is important because no crystal is specified so it covers materials from diamond to silicon to III-V compounds and much more, nor is any particular crystal surface named (except the ridges must run in a particular direction which is by far the most important direction), nor is any fabrication method specified. Furthermore the range of widths and depths allows fabrication of many new electronic devices and the insertion of a large number of C60 and other fullerenes (Buckyballs), nanotubes, and DNA and many other long chain molecules in the nanometer wide grooves.
