I am serious. But thanks for your answer. I do not think we have found a good solution to this question. Anyway, before we solve this we can not expect to fabricate a nanodevice by using chemically synthesized building blocks.
You are right. I do not expect to find an answer here. This is actually not an easy question to answer. While lithographic guys are facing the challenge to develop a tech beyond 20 nm, we (bottom-up methodologists) are not in a position to take over, even to involve in as a hybrid approach. This is partially due to that we failed to lure talented young scientists and/or enough research funds. This is also why I start to think allocate time here: we need let more extensive researchers know, there are some alternatives, some unusual ways to think, to purse..... Anyway, I agree with you, I am thinking to word some of our works, such as, nonthermal nanoprocesing and plasmonic processing. We do need some more general discussions, even somehow, at a low level. But who knows, maybe some brilliant idea can be fermented, some young people are willing to involve, some companies wants to bet.
We have some forums for your attentions:
Nanojoining in MS&T each year http://www.programmaster.org/PM/PM.nsf/UpcomingSymposia/41AF78C5228277C885257B7A006CAC72?OpenDocument&ParentUNID=5E906689DEA330B085257A8E0081D4AD
Nano-Micro Joining international conference
http://www.nmj2014.org/
It is my pleasure to discuss with you. Please feel free to comment.
The real situation is that we can very easily grow thousand and billions nanowires with single crystalline quality in liquid or certain substrates but we are short of effective methods to "move" these items into a desired position. For example, I can make a P-type nanowire and n-type nanowire, the nanojoining developed by my group can also effectively join/weld them if they are overlapped or close to each other. But to manipulate these nanowires are tedious. once you catch them by a tip, it is very hard to separate them from this tip. we need tweezers to hold them, move and then release. Neither precise enough nor strong enough are most of current nanotools.
Have a look at the following methodology that can be used without the need of a FIB. It is simple nano-manipulation using piezo-electric 3D transducers within an SEM.
I read your APL paper carefully. It is a very nice work. Recently, we work on silver nanowire joining with local Joule heating. It works very well. This should be a very nice nano joining method. Did not you develop it with any possible functional nano devices for application?