Nanomanipulation and characterisation of individual nano-objects inside a SEM

This paper describes the use of nanomanipulation for deforming, picking up and positioning nano-objects in situ in a field emission scanning electron microscope using an in-house built manipulator. Our experiments demonstrate that physical manipulation can be used in a wide range of different experiments and systems. The scope of possibilities is quite large, from mounting nanodevices to fabricating AFM tips based on CNTs in addition to measuring mechanical and electrical properties of individual nanosystems. Nanomanipulation has a large application potential in physics, chemistry, biology and engineering, rendering possible the idealised bottom-up approach to nanotechnology.