Nanomanipulation and in-situ electrical characterisation of nanowires

Nanotechnology is a diverse area of research that involves the creation of new materials and tools that are able to manipulate and make contact to objects at the nanoscale. One current area of research is into carbon nanotubes, which exhibit unique electrical properties. It is hoped that one-day these nanotubes will be utilised in a variety of applications including use as interconnects in electronic devices. As these new structures have been discovered and microelectronic circuits have decreased in size and increased in complexity, the need for new techniques, capable of fabricating and characterising structures with nanometre precision at specific locations has also increased. One such technique, which is attracting considerable attention, is electron beam induced deposition, because it is a direct-write or maskless procedure with a simple manufacturing process that can be used with a wide variety of materials. However, in order for it to be accepted as a mainstream technique it is necessary to first achieve a high degree of understanding and control of the process.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo