IBM scientists discovered how to
move and position individual atoms on a metal
surface using a scanning tunneling microscope.
The technique was demonstrated in April 1990 at
IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif.,
where scientists created the world's first structure:
the letters "I-B-M" -- assembled one
atom at a time. (VV1003)
The scanning tunneling microscope itself is illustrated elsewhere in Vintage Views.