Top-down fabrication
Definition
Making small structures by carving them out of a larger block — lithography, etching, milling.
How every processor chip is made. Precise, well controlled, and expensive: resolution is bounded by the tools, and the tools at the leading edge cost more than most countries' research budgets. Contrast with bottom-up approaches such as self-assembly.
Where this comes up
Articles that define top-down fabrication in context.
