The nanometre is a unit of length and is a multiple of the SI unit metre. It uses the symbol nm.
1 nm is equal to one one-billionth of a metre. (Nano is the prefix for one billionth). It is used to express dimensions on an atomic scale for example a helium atom has a radius of approximately 0.03nm.
The nanometre was previously known as the millimicrometre (or the millimicron).
The mil is a unit of length in the imperial unit system and uses the symbol mil (or sometimes thou).
A mil in one one-thousandth of an inch (0.001 inches) or 25.4 μm.
The mil is still used in the US to measure thickness of various materials.