Stable nanomanipulation using atomic force microscopy: A virtual nanohand for a robotic nanomanipulation system.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become a promising tool for not only imaging and measuring matter at the nanoscale [1] but also manipulating and fabricating nano-objects [2], [3]. AFM offers multiple working modes for sensing and actuating with one versatile probe. It can easily switch between scanning and manipulating a nano-object either in an ambient atmosphere or in a liquid environment [4]. One of the important nanoparticle manipulations is the nanoparticle transfer, in which two movements of grasping and transferring are involved. Although the two movements are directly in conflict with the single probe-based mechanism, an AFM-based robotic nanomanipulation system with a virtual nanohand has been developed to solve the conflicting issue of movements. In this article, we show how an AFM-based virtual nanohand is designed to grasp and transfer a nanoparticle at the nanometer scale stably, efficiently, and effectively.