Recent advances in nanorobotic manipulation inside scanning electron microscopes

摘要

Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are powerful platforms for guiding robots to manipulate nanomaterials and prototype nanodevices. Yu Sun from the University of Toronto, Canada, and his colleagues surveyed recent progress in the field, reporting that the real-time, nanometer-scale imaging capabilities of SEMs and nanomanipulators with sub-nanometer motion resolutions have led to breakthroughs in applications such as automated DNA extraction, 3D manipulation of nanomaterials and the electrical characterization of transistors. Tools such as nano probe and micromachined ‘grippers’ embedded with force-feedback sensors are used to stretch, slice and shovel nanoscale objects, whereas electron-beam techniques can be used to weld such materials together. Implementing control and sensing and actuation schemes compatible with SEM’s vacuum environment remains challenging, however. Although virtual-reality techniques have enhanced human-robot interactions, autonomous nanomanipulation is still advancing to offer better consistency and speeds in the nano world.