A favorable context for the development of nanometrology
Metrological atomic force microscope

The current craze for nanomaterials and the vast field of associated applications can be explained by the strong dependence of the physico-chemical properties of nano-objects on their dimensions and morphology. For a particular application, it is thus possible to design a nano-object "à la carte" to meet a specific functional property (electronic, magnetic, optical, thermodynamic, mechanical, etc.). However, these developments face a large number of technological hurdles and specific problems linked to the nanometric dimensions (1-100 nm) of these structures. A common misconception in nanoscience and nanotechnology is that the technological breakthrough faced by industry lies in manufacturing. In reality, in many sectors, the development of ever-smaller devices and materials is the fruit of a long, continuous process resulting from a so-called "top-down" approach to the miniaturization...