(December 8, 2004) Armonk, N.Y. &#8212 IBM announced that it has successfully applied a novel approach in nanotechnology to aid conventional semiconductor processing&#8212potentially enabling continued device miniaturization and chip performance improvements. IBM used a “molecular self assembly” technique that is compatible with existing chip-making tools, making it attractive for applications in future microelectronics technologies because it avoids the high cost of tooling changes and the risks associated with major process changes.