VIDEO: https://youtu.be/xsnqYDVSUTM
Physicists at Loughborough University have used cutting-edge nanotechnology to create what they believe may be 'the world's smallest violin', which is small enough to fit within the width of a human hair.
The violin is made of platinum and measures just 35 microns long and 13 microns wide, with a micron being one millionth of a metre. For size comparison, a human hair typically ranges from 17 to 180 microns in diameter, and the much-loved microscopic creatures known as tardigrades measure between 50 to 1,200 microns.
The miniature violin was created as a test project to demonstrate the capabilities of the University's new nanolithography system – an advanced suite of technology that enables researchers to build and study structures at the nanoscale. The system will support a variety of research projects aimed at identifying new materials and methods for developing the next generation of computing devices.
"Though creating the world's smallest violin may seem like fun and games, a lot of what we've learned in the process has actually laid the groundwork for the research we're now undertaking", said Professor Kelly Morrison, Head of the Physics department and an expert in experimental physics.
"Our nanolithography system allows us to design experiments that probe materials in different ways – using light, magnetism, or electricity – and observe their responses. Once we understand how materials behave, we can start applying that knowledge to develop new technologies, whether it's improving computing efficiency or finding new ways to harvest energy.
"But first, we need to understand the fundamental science and this system enables us to do just that."
Why a violin?
The team created the nanoscale violin as a playful reference to the well-known pop culture phrase, "Can you hear the world's smallest violin playing just for you?" – typically used to mock exaggerated complaints or overly dramatic reactions. The phrase is often accompanied by a hand gesture mimicking someone playing a tiny violin between their thumb and forefinger.
The expression is thought to have first appeared on television in the 1970s, popularised by the show M*A*S*H, and has remained part of pop culture thanks to appearances in more recent shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, as well as a deep-dive into its origin by ClassicFM.
The Loughborough violin is a microscopic image rather than a playable instrument, and while it hasn't been confirmed by any official channels as the world's smallest violin, one thing is clear: it's very small.
How was it made?
At the heart of Loughborough University's nanotechnology system – which spans an entire laboratory – is the NanoFrazor, a cutting-edge nano-sculpting machine from Heidelberg Instruments. It uses thermal scanning probe lithography, a technique where a heated, needle-like tip 'writes' highly precise patterns at the nanoscale.
To create the violin, Professor Morrison - with support from Dr Naëmi Leo and research technician Dr Arthur Coveney - began by coating a small chip with two layers of a gel-like material called a resist. This coated chip was then placed under the NanoFrazor, which used its heated tip to burn the violin pattern into the surface layer.
After the design was etched, the resist was developed by dissolving the exposed underlayer to leave behind a violin-shaped cavity. A thin layer of platinum was then deposited onto the chip, and a final rinse in acetone removed the remaining material to reveal the finished violin.
The system is fully enclosed using a glovebox and a suite of interconnected chambers as it is essential to keep moisture and dust from impacting sensitive research. To maintain these controlled conditions, the chip was carefully moved between chambers using small metal arms operated from the outside.
It takes around three hours to create a violin using the nanolithography system, though the team's final version took several months as they refined and tested different techniques.
The finished piece is no larger than a speck of dust on the chip and can only be viewed in detail using a microscope.
How the nanolithography system is powering new research
Two Loughborough University research projects are already underway using the nanolithography system. One is exploring alternatives to magnetic data storage, and another investigating how heat can be used for faster and more energy-efficient data storage and processing.
"I'm really excited about the level of control and possibilities we have with the set-up," said Professor Kelly Morrison, "I'm looking forward to seeing what I can achieve – but also what everyone else can do with the system."
The creation of 'the world's smallest violin' has been documented in a new video, which can be viewed above or on YouTube. Professor Morrison has also published a blog post on the creation of the violin.
Further details on the two research projects using the nanolithography system are provided below.
Harnessing heat to create smaller and more efficient devices
Dr Naëmi Leo, a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, is using the nanolithography system to explore how precisely controlled heat could support the development of next-generation computing.
One of the major challenges in digital technology today is improving efficiency while continuing to shrink device size and increase processing speed. A key issue is heat management: modern devices consume significant amounts of electricity, and much of that energy is lost as heat. This not only wastes power but can also reduce performance or even damage sensitive components.
However, heat isn't always a drawback. Under the right conditions – particularly when it's unevenly distributed, such as one side of a device being hot while the other remains cool – it can give rise to useful physical effects that can be harnessed for faster and more energy-efficient data storage and processing.
Dr Leo's research focuses on how to create and control these temperature gradients to enable novel, efficient, and fast devices. She aims to achieve this by combining magnetic and electric materials with specially designed nanoparticles that absorb specific wavelengths of light and convert that energy into heat.
The nanolithography system is central to this work, allowing for the precise patterning and integration of multiple materials and functionalities onto a single device – a critical step toward building the computing devices of the future.
For further information on Dr Leo's research, visit the UKRI Fellowship news article.
New materials for magnetic data storage
Dr Fasil Dejene will use the nanolithography system in a new research project exploring how quantum materials could offer a more efficient alternative to today's magnetic data storage and computing technologies.
An everyday example of magnetic data storage is the traditional magnetic hard disk drive, which stores data using magnetic bits – tiny, nanometre-sized regions on a spinning disk. A magnetic read head hovers just above the surface, reading the data stored by detecting the changes in the magnetic flux between neighbouring magnetic bits. The sensitivity of the read head determines how much data can be stored in a given space.
As we scale down memory devices to increase data density and reduce energy use, the magnetic stability of each bit becomes harder to maintain. This drives the need for efficient sensors and makes it essential to explore new materials capable of reliable performance at the nanoscale.
Dr Dejene's research will investigate whether emerging quantum materials could enable the creation of smaller, faster, and more reliable magnetic memory devices that will not only have application in data storage technologies, but also in emerging brain-inspired computing technologies.
The nanolithography system will allow him to fabricate nanoscale prototypes of magnetic sensing elements with high precision, enabling thorough testing and benchmarking against existing technologies.
For further information on Dr Dejene's research, visit his Research and Innovation profile.