If you were sufficiently motivated, you could build a basic STM in your basement… not in your attic though, too much vibration. Would take a while to get progress with it though, need to vacuum pump it for 24 hours or so every time you crack it open to change something before you could test it. Then if you figured out a multi tip probe, you’d probably have to leave several atoms spacing between tips or they’d interfere with each other. Plus you’d have to start everything on a single plane atom substrate, a cleaved regular crystal, other surfaces would be too rough. Getting all the probes to the same length would be quite a challenge in itself. Possibly you’d want to spend 6 months with a regular STM building the head of your STM probe array., even with an “atomic megapixel” you’d take a long while to build anything visible.

IBM wrote their name with 36 atoms. Last I checked it was a worlds record. As far as doing it practically though, I haven’t heard anything about that yet.

Yet… think in terms of massively parallel scanning tunneling microscope type devices, able to pick and place molecules. First job, print your own 256 core CPU…

Agreed. It would have to be a very strong machine :P

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Wooden_pallet_with_glove.jpg

Or wax?