IBM has announced a major breakthrough in nanotechnology that promises to simplify semiconductor processing, improve performance and enable continued miniaturization of chips.

Big Blue has coined the phrase "molecular self assembly" to clarify the technique that its researchers used to leverage the natural inclination of certain polymer molecules to cluster themselves into precise and organized patterns.

Due to this novel approach, IBM forecasts a significant price advantage over conventional chip assembly methods such as lithography.

The polymers themselves are close kin to the glue that is used to bind together a common pair of tennis shoes. However, that is fundamentally the full extent of any similarity between the two sticky substances.

According to IBM, the polymers' unique tendency to organize can pattern device features that are extremely dense, smaller, more precise and more uniform than chips stenciled through lithography.

Ultimately, nanotechnology will lead to smaller and more complex electronic devices that do not require complex retooling when manufacturing processes are upgraded to accommodate change.

To prove that its polymers were up to task, IBM researchers coaxed atoms to form a complex silicon nanocrystal array, the basis for conventional forms of FLASH memory. The company claims that this method will make it much easier to build semiconductor devices in the future, while maintaining compatibility with existing chip-making tools.

"Self assembly opens up new opportunities for patterning at dimensions smaller than those in current technologies," said Dr. T.C. Chen, vice president of science and technology at IBM Research. Chen continued, "As components in information technology products continue to shrink toward the molecular scale, self-assembly techniques could be used to enhance lithographic methods."

Chen's team predicts that self-assembly techniques will reach the pilot phase within three to five years. More information on IBM's nanotechnology projects can be found at the IBM Research Web site.