Nanotweezers and nanomanipulator

• US 20020158480A1
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daiken Corporation, Yoshikazu Nakayama
• Original Assignee: Daiken Corporation, Yoshikazu Nakayama
• Inventors: Okawa, Takashi, Nakayama, Yoshikazu, Harada, Akio, Akita, Seiji
• Granted Patent: US 6,669,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 294/99.1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 7/00 Micromanipulators specimen supports for investigating or analysing materials G01N23/2204; associated with microscopes G02B21/32; means for supporting or positioning the objects or the material in discharge tubes H01J37/20
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/032 Bimorph and unimorph actuators, e.g. piezo and thermo
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/12 STM or AFM microtips
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0118 Cantilevers
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 99/002 Apparatus for assembling MEMS, e.g. micromanipulators micromanipulators per se B25J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B82B 3/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures by manipulation of individual atoms or molecules, or limited collections of atoms or molecules as discrete units
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G01Q 80/00 Applications, other than SPM, of scanning-probe techniques manufacture or treatment of nanostructures B82B3/00; recording or reproducing information using near-field interaction G11B9/12, G11B11/24, G11B13/08
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/732 Nanocantilever
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/734 Fullerenes, i.e. graphene-based structures, such as nanohorns, nanococoons, nanoscrolls or fullerene-like structures, e.g. WS2 or MoS2 chalcogenide nanotubes, planar C3N4, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/742 Carbon nanotubes, CNTs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/778 within specified host or matrix material, e.g. nanocomposite films
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/78 Possessing fully enclosed nanosized voids or physical holes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/837 Piezoelectric property of nanomaterial
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/842 for carbon nanotubes or fullerenes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/858 including positioning/mounting nanostructure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/863 Atomic force probe
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/875 with tip detail
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/876 Nanotube tip
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/89 : Deposition of materials, e.g. coating, cvd, or ald
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/901 : having step or means utilizing electromagnetic property, e.g. optical, x-ray, electron beamm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/962 : for carrying or transporting

Abstract

To provide nanotweezers and a nanomanipulator which allow great miniaturization of the component and are capable of gripping various types of nano-substances such as insulators, semiconductors and conductors and of gripping nano-substances of various shapes.

Electrostatic nanotweezers 2 are characterized in that the nanotweezers 2 are comprised of a plurality of nanotubes whose base end portions are fastened to a holder 6 so that the nanotubes protrude from the holder 6, coating films which insulate and cover the surfaces of the nanotubes, and lead wires 10, 10 which are connected to two of the nanotubes 8, 9; and the tip ends of the two nanotubes are freely opened and closed by means of an electrostatic attractive force generated by applying a voltage across these lead wires. Furthermore, by way of forming a piezo-electric film 32 on the surface of the nanotube 9, and the tip ends of the nanotubes are freely opened and closed by expanding and contracting the piezo-electric film, thus allowing any desired nano-substances to be handled regardless of whether the nano-substances are insulators, semiconductors or conductors. Furthermore, if by way of designing three nanotubes so as to be freely opened and closed by an electrostatic system, nano-substances of various shapes such as spherical, rod-form, etc. can be handled. Moreover, a nanomanipulator that is constructed by combining the nanotweezers with a three-dimensional driving mechanism facilitates the gripping, moving and releasing of nano-substances.

Claims

1. Nanotweezers characterized in that said nanotweezers comprise:

a plurality of nanotubes fastened at base end portions thereof to a holder so that said nanotubes protrude from said holder, a coating film that covers surfaces of said nanotubes with an insulating coating, and lead wires that are connected to two nanotubes among said nanotubes;

wherein tip ends of said two nanotubes are freely opened and closed by means of an electrostatic attractive force created by applying a voltage across said lead wires.

8. A nanomanipulator device characterized in that said nanomanipulator device is comprised of:

nanotweezers according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, and a three-dimensional driving mechanism that moves and controls said nanotweezers in X, Y and Z directions with respect to a sample;

wherein nano-substances are transferred to said sample by said nanotweezers.

9. The nanomanipulator device according to claim 8, wherein at least one of said nanotubes that form said nanotweezers is used as a probe needle of a scanning probe microscope.

2. Nanotweezers characterized in that said nanotweezers comprise:

a pyramid portion that is installed on a cantilever so as to protrude from said cantilever, a plurality of nanotubes fastened at base end portions thereof to said pyramid portion so that said nanotubes protrude from said pyramid portion, and lead wires that are connected to two nanotubes among said nanotubes;

wherein tip ends of said two nanotubes are freely opened and closed by means of an electrostatic attractive force created by applying a voltage across said lead wires.

3. Nanotweezers characterized in that said nanotweezers comprise:

a plurality of nanotubes fastened at base end portions thereof to a holder so that said nanotubes protrude from said holder, and a piezo-electric film that is formed on a surface of at least one nanotube among said nanotubes;

wherein tip ends of said nanotubes are freely opened and closed by applying a voltage to said piezo-electric film so that said piezo-electric film is caused to expand and contract.

4. The nanotweezers according to claim 3, wherein said holder is a pyramid portion of a cantilever.

5. Nanotweezers characterized in that said nanotweezers comprise:

a plurality of deformable pyramid pieces that form a pyramid portion of a cantilever, nanotubes which are fastened to tip ends of said pyramid pieces, and a piezo-electric film which is formed on side surface of at least one of said pyramid pieces;

wherein tip ends of said nanotubes are opened and closed by applying a voltage to said piezo-electric film so that said piezo-electric film is caused to expand and contract, thus making said pyramid pieces flexible.

6. Electrostatic nanotweezers characterized in that said nanotweezers comprise:

three or more nanotubes whose base end portions are fastened to a holder so that said nanotubes protrude from said holder, and lead electrodes which are respectively connected to three or more nanotubes among said nanotubes;

wherein sad nanotubes are freely opened and closed by means of an electrostatic attractive force created by applying a voltage across said lead electrodes.

7. Electrostatic nanotweezers characterized in that said nanotweezers comprise:

a protruding portion which is disposed on a cantilever so as to protrude from said cantilever, three or more nanotubes fastened at base end portions thereof to said protruding portion so that said nanotubes protrude from said protruding portion, and lead electrodes which are respectively connected to each of at least three or more of said nanotubes among said nanotubes;

wherein tip ends of said nanotubes are freely opened and closed by an electrostatic attractive force created by applying a voltage across said lead electrodes.