A nanoruler is a tool or a method used within the subfield of "nanometrology" to achieve precise control and measurements at the nanoscale (i.e. nanometer, a billion times smaller than a meter). Measurements of extremely tiny proportions require more complicated procedures, such as manipulating the properties of light (plasmonic) or DNA to determine distances. At the nanoscale, materials and devices exhibit unique properties that can significantly influence their behavior. In fields like electronics, medicine, and biotechnology, where advancements come from manipulating matter at the atomic and molecular levels, nanoscale measurements become essential.
The nanoruler is also a tool developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with extreme precision, achieved through the technique of scanning beam interference lithography (SBIL). The director of the project, Mark L. Schattenburg, began it with the intention of helping the semiconductor industry, which is required in devices such as computer chips that have components nanometers in size, hence the importance of having a tool capable of nanoscale precision. The Nanoruler was developed in the Space Nanotechnology Laboratory of the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[1]