Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope
Demonstrated experimentally in this work was the possibility of controlled handling the nanoparticles with the size from 50 up to 250 nm on a semiconductor surface by using an atomic force microscope under conditions of acoustic excitation. It has been shown that the selective transport of par...
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Інститут фізики напівпровідників імені В.Є. Лашкарьова НАН України
2010
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irk-123456789-1177412017-05-27T03:04:55Z Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope Lytvyn, P.M. Olikh, O.Ya. Lytvyn, O.S. Dyachyns’ka, O.M. Prokopenko, I.V. Demonstrated experimentally in this work was the possibility of controlled handling the nanoparticles with the size from 50 up to 250 nm on a semiconductor surface by using an atomic force microscope under conditions of acoustic excitation. It has been shown that the selective transport of particles of a certain size is possible owing to the change of an ultrasonic vibration amplitude. Also in this study, possible mechanisms in which ultrasound may influence the particle-surface interaction and the probe-particle (surface) interaction have been analyzed. 2010 Article Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope / P.M. Lytvyn, O.Ya. Olikh, O.S. Lytvyn, O.M. Dyachyns’ka, I.V. Prokopenko // Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics. — 2010. — Т. 13, № 1. — С. 36-42. — Бібліогр.: 38 назв. — англ. 1560-8034 PACS 07.79.Sp, 43.35.-c, 68.37.Ps, 81.16.-c http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/117741 en Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics Інститут фізики напівпровідників імені В.Є. Лашкарьова НАН України |
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Demonstrated experimentally in this work was the possibility of controlled
handling the nanoparticles with the size from 50 up to 250 nm on a semiconductor
surface by using an atomic force microscope under conditions of acoustic excitation. It
has been shown that the selective transport of particles of a certain size is possible owing
to the change of an ultrasonic vibration amplitude. Also in this study, possible
mechanisms in which ultrasound may influence the particle-surface interaction and the
probe-particle (surface) interaction have been analyzed. |
| format |
Article |
| author |
Lytvyn, P.M. Olikh, O.Ya. Lytvyn, O.S. Dyachyns’ka, O.M. Prokopenko, I.V. |
| spellingShingle |
Lytvyn, P.M. Olikh, O.Ya. Lytvyn, O.S. Dyachyns’ka, O.M. Prokopenko, I.V. Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics |
| author_facet |
Lytvyn, P.M. Olikh, O.Ya. Lytvyn, O.S. Dyachyns’ka, O.M. Prokopenko, I.V. |
| author_sort |
Lytvyn, P.M. |
| title |
Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope |
| title_short |
Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope |
| title_full |
Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope |
| title_fullStr |
Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope |
| title_sort |
ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope |
| publisher |
Інститут фізики напівпровідників імені В.Є. Лашкарьова НАН України |
| publishDate |
2010 |
| url |
http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/117741 |
| citation_txt |
Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations with atomic force microscope / P.M. Lytvyn, O.Ya. Olikh, O.S. Lytvyn, O.M. Dyachyns’ka, I.V. Prokopenko // Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics. — 2010. — Т. 13, № 1. — С. 36-42. — Бібліогр.: 38 назв. — англ. |
| series |
Semiconductor Physics Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT lytvynpm ultrasonicassistednanomanipulationswithatomicforcemicroscope AT olikhoya ultrasonicassistednanomanipulationswithatomicforcemicroscope AT lytvynos ultrasonicassistednanomanipulationswithatomicforcemicroscope AT dyachynskaom ultrasonicassistednanomanipulationswithatomicforcemicroscope AT prokopenkoiv ultrasonicassistednanomanipulationswithatomicforcemicroscope |
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2025-07-08T12:43:36Z |
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2025-07-08T12:43:36Z |
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| fulltext |
Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2010. V. 13, N 1. P. 36-42.
© 2010, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
36
PACS 07.79.Sp, 43.35.-c, 68.37.Ps, 81.16.-c
Ultrasonic assisted nanomanipulations
with atomic force microscope
P.M. Lytvyn1, O.Ya. Olikh2, O.S. Lytvyn1, O.M. Dyachyns’ka1, I.V. Prokopenko1
1V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, NAS of Ukraine,
41, prospect Nauky, 03028 Kyiv, Ukraine; e-mail: plyt@microscopy.org.ua
2Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, 64, Volodymyrs’ka, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine
Abstract. Demonstrated experimentally in this work was the possibility of controlled
handling the nanoparticles with the size from 50 up to 250 nm on a semiconductor
surface by using an atomic force microscope under conditions of acoustic excitation. It
has been shown that the selective transport of particles of a certain size is possible owing
to the change of an ultrasonic vibration amplitude. Also in this study, possible
mechanisms in which ultrasound may influence the particle-surface interaction and the
probe-particle (surface) interaction have been analyzed.
Keywords: atomic force microscope, nanoparticle, nanomanipulations, ultrasound.
Manuscript received 10.09.09; accepted for publication 22.10.09; published online 04.12.09.
1. Introduction
Manipulation of nanometer scale objects of any nature
and their positioning with subnanometer accuracy is
becoming an inalienable part of current nanotechnology.
Nanomanipulation means that objects can be displaced,
drawn, repositioned, assembled, cut off under the
influence of external factors. The most promising
instrument for such purposes is a scanning probe
microscope (SPM), which can operate simultaneously as
a diagnostic device and manipulator. In a number of
cases, a SPM probe operates as an ultra precise robot
that performs accurate repositioning with three degrees
of freedom employing various types of interaction
(mechanical, electrical, magnetic, optical, thermal)
depending on the required task. Besides, different
methods of nanolithography, which are carried out by
SPM, enable one both to perform nanoassemblies and to
integrate them into micrometer-scale structures
manufactured by means of traditional electron-beam
lithography [1-4].
Among nanometer objects, nanoparticles (NP) of
different nature receive special attention. In particular,
colloid NP can be obtained having an exact predefined
size by using the relatively inexpensive technologies; in
addition, planar structures with NP also demonstrate
great technological potential. For example, it has been
shown [5-6] that, at a certain placement of gold NP into
the points of nanometer mesh, it is possible to achieve
the density of information recording on its surface of the
order of several Tb/in2. Furthermore, SPM has been
instrumental in creating numerous up-to-date prototypes
of electronic and optoelectronic devices. Thus, by means
of placing nanoparticles in the tunneling gap between
two electrodes (source and drain), one can make a
single-electron transistor [7-11]; and using a metal NP
chain, it is possible to create a “plasmonic” waveguide
[12-14]. Nanomanipulations of metal NP and carbon
nanotubes with the use of an atomic force microscope
(AFM) make it possible to produce both separate
elements and structured surfaces for subsequent
manufacturing of matrixed nanoelectromechanical
systems (NEMS) [15-17]. In nanomedicine and
biotechnology, high-precision manipulations, micro-
preparations, and nanoextraction of genetic material
[18, 19] enable one to develop biosensors for genetic
analyses and to produce integrated smart-sensors (lab-
on-a chip diagnostic devices).
It is obvious that to ensure a successful
nanomanipulation, a number of problems connected with
the specific character of physical interactions between
objects whose size is measured on a nanometer scale
have to be solved first. In many cases, we should take
into consideration the interaction of nanoobjects with the
environment and a substrate, their interaction, the
interaction with the nanoprobe and possible effects from
external disturbances (electromagnetic fields,
temperatures, humidity etc.). In addition, the technical
side of the process also presents some challenges, such
as the detection of the required nanoobjects on substrates
of a microscopic size and their accurate and controlled
movement.
Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2010. V. 13, N 1. P. 36-42.
© 2010, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
37
Since the matter of stabilizing and fixing
nanoobjects on substrates can be successfully dealt with
at the stage of a sample preparation (preparation
component), the task of accomplishing the optimal
substrate – nanoobject – SPM nanoprobe (AFM tip)
interaction gains particular importance in the process of
nanomanipulation. Thus, in the contact operational mode
of AFM, which is one of the SPM modes, the load of
several nanoNewtons results in the under-tip pressure of
the order of several gigaPascals, which is unacceptable
when handling polymers and biological samples. Using
the dynamic mode of AFM operation (tapping mode)
[20], it is possible to significantly reduce the mechanical
effect of the probe on the surface. However, in this
situation, the transport of the particles attached to the
surface presents some difficulties. For example, under
the conditions of a weak coupling, nanoparticles often
attach to the AFM tip in an uncontrolled manner. Even
though, there are publications in which, for particular
systems, the matter of a control over the processes of NP
attachment (detachment) to a SPM probe is proposed to
be solved using electrostatic “nanocranes” [9, 20, 21]
and optical tweezers [18]; in our opinion, the more
promising technique for this purpose is control over the
force of an interaction between a substrate and NP.
In this work, we show how by applying an
additional ultrasonic (US) excitation to the surface it is
possible effectively and in a controlled way to reduce the
strength of the coupling between the surface and NP.
What is more, it is demonstrated that a specific change
in the ultrasonic vibrations amplitude allows one to
selectively transport particles of a certain size. This
approach to carrying out a precise manipulation seems
more versatile, that is why it is surprising that there are
so few studies dealing with the issue [22]. On the other
hand, it is worth noting that an additional acoustic
excitation during the characterization of mechanical
properties of surfaces by SPM methods has been used
quite extensively [23-27].
2. Experimental setup and samples
The setup for acoustically stimulated manipulations of
nanoparticles was based on a scanning probe microscope
NanoScope IIIa (Digital Instruments, USA). The
modification the SPM underwent involved replacing a
standard microscope stage with the stage equipped with
a built-in ultrasonic transducer (Fig. 1).
NPs of natural germanium oxide on the 100-nm-
thick epitaxial Ge layer grown on a silicon substrate were
chosen as a test object. The size of NP was within the 50–
200 nm range, and the density was approximately -2m2 .
The manipulations were carried out in the contact
AFM mode using the commercial V-shaped Veeco Inc.
DNP series Si3N4 tips [28] with the cantilever stiffness of
0.58 N/m. The ultrasonic loading (USL) of the samples
was done by employing lithium niobate piezoelectric
transducers that were able to generate longitudinal
acoustic waves with fUS = 4.1 MHz frequency. The rigid
acoustic contact between the piezoelectric transducer and
the sample was maintained using picein. The transducer
was supplied with the high-frequency voltage of the
amplitude VUS up to 7 V from a GZ-41 signal generator.
As a result, elastic oscillations of the sample under the
AFM probe were excited; the atomic shift amplitude US
was as high as 5 Å. The AFM tip imaging scan-rate
(recording of one line) varies within 0.3–0.8 Hz, which
was significantly lower than the US oscillation period.
The task of manipulations was transporting NPs of
different sizes over the surface and their arraying parallel
to the AFM tip motion. In the process of manipulations,
a continuous mapping of the AFM tip-sample interaction
in the constant force mode was performed. The
experiments were carried out under normal conditions (~
23 С, with the relative humidity of 40 %).
3. Experimental results and discussion
AFM images of initial samples showed a statistically
homogeneous distribution of NP on the substrate surface
(Fig. 2), where the top part of the scans (up to the mark
“On”) illustrates the surface before the manipulations.
For a better visualization, AFM images have been
given in the so-called deflection mode, which
corresponds to the primary signal in the system of
recording. The signal marks the change of the tip–
surface interaction magnitude and further serves to
insure a constant value of the tip–surface interaction
force by the recording system, and an AFM feed-back
loop. The optimal tip–surface interaction force value,
which was used for mapping at a controlled NP position,
was obtained by means of the force spectroscopy data
indicating the dependence of the interaction force on the
1
2
3
4 5
Fig. 1. Experimental setup for acoustically stimulated
manipulations of nanoparticles: piezoelectric transducer
(1), sample with NP (2), AFM tip (3), AFM scanner (4),
high-frequency voltage generator (5). The arrow shows the
direction of ultrasonic vibrations.
Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2010. V. 13, N 1. P. 36-42.
© 2010, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
38
tip–surface distance. In our case, the optimal force was
close to 20 nN. This force magnitude guaranteed a sure
interaction between the AFM tip and the surface during
the measurements and, at the same time, was quite small
so as to prevent any possible damages of the tip apex
and the surface as a result of a mechanical contact.
If we set a bigger magnitude of the tip–surface
interaction force or switch into a constant height mode
(in which the AFM probe moves only in the sample
plane), then it is expected to observe the NP transport on
the surface by the AFM tip. However, experiments
demonstrated that it is quite impossible to perform NP
transport over the surface using tips with a given
stiffness. At the same time, the maximum lateral force
(torsion deformation of the AFM tip cantilever) was
equal 60 nN, which, in its turn, indicates an exceeding
value of the NP–surface binding force.
The situation changes to the reverse when
ultrasonic oscillations are excited in the sample: even at
the optimal for mapping tip–surface interaction force,
one can detect effective NP movements. Fig. 2a presents
an AFM image of a surface area with NP without
excitation of US oscillations and with them. As we can
observe, under the US excitation AFM does not record
single NP, but only the tracks of their movements.
Besides, the scanner continues performing standard for
mapping raster scanning of the surface and NP move
over the surface only at the moments of a direct contact
with the AFM tip in the direction of slow scanning (the
insert in Fig. 2c, SS direction). Immediately after
switching off the US, NP motions stop and the AFM
records NP with the size of up to 150 nm arrayed along
fast scanning direction (Fig. 2a, the first mark “Off”).
After resuming US, the next along the way of the probe
group of NP starts moving. During repeated scanning
under the conditions of USL, an arrayed before NP
group gets mixed (see the tracks in Fig. 2b), as a result,
in a cleared field one can only see a few big particles
(with a size greater than 200 nm), whose position did not
change after the excitation of US oscillations. This
indicates that these NP have a stronger bond with the
surface compared to the particles of a smaller size.
Experiments showed that by increasing the US
oscillations amplitude, one could successfully achieve
the transport of even these NP. As an example, see
Fig. 3, which demonstrates the images of the particles
with a size in the range of 150–200 nm arraying into a
line. Thus, by means of changing the wave’s amplitude,
NP separation based on their size is performed. It is also
expected that US frequency variation can also be
effective for NP selection by size when there is a case of
an effect of certain resonance phenomena.
(a) (b) (c)
Fig. 2. US stimulated AFM manipulations of NPs: the first stage of NPs manipulation (a) with turn-on and turn-off USL of the
sample; the second stage of NPs manipulations (b) which illustrates a “sweeping out” process of surface under USL; swept
surface (c), no USL applied. The top part of (a)-(c) illustrate the reference image of the non-modified surface area. The lines
mark the moments of the beginning (mark “On”) and the end (mark “Off”) of excitation of US oscillations (fUS = 4.1 МHz,
ΔUS = 1.4 Å).
Fig. 3. US stimulated arraying of particles with a size of about 200 nm. fUS = 4.1 МHz, ΔUS = 2.8 Å.
Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2010. V. 13, N 1. P. 36-42.
© 2010, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
39
To understand the mechanism of US action during
nanomanipulation, it is important to specify two separate
factors behind the abovementioned effect: 1) the
decrease of the effective value of NP bonding with the
surface (adhesion); 2) the decrease of the friction force
between a moving particle and the surface (the
movement of a particle over the surface under its
repulsive interaction with the tip).
The efficiency of the magnitude reduction of the
adhesion to the surface at the increase of US oscillations
amplitude can be quantified using the force spectroscopy
data. For this purpose, a series of force-distance curves
were recorded under different US oscillation amplitudes
(in this case, AFM tip approaches to the contact, reaches a
predefined load and moves away from the surface). Fig. 4
illustrates the lines of force corresponding to the loss of
the contact when the probe is retracted from the surface.
Zero on the horizontal scale registers the position of the
scanner at the moment of a contact between the probe and
the surface at their approach. The movement towards
negative corresponds to the loaded tip (the tip touches the
surface), and towards positive, to the unloading of the
probe. The figure demonstrates that the full unloading of
the probe does not bring about the loss of a mechanical
contact: adhesion forces are counterbalanced by the elastic
deformation force of the AFM cantilever, as a result of
which, the probe remains at the surface. When the
adhesion force magnitude is greater, we can observe an
abrupt, jump-like, separation of the contact and the elastic
deformation of the tip cantilever come to zero value. The
magnitude of “a jump” corresponds to the magnitude of
adhesion forces. In our case, excitation of US oscillations
with the amplitude of 0.7 Å results in a reduction of the
adhesion force magnitude from 115 up to 78 nN, and
when the amplitude exceeds 3.8 Å, the action of adhesion
forces is completely leveled. Furthermore, besides the
abovementioned effect, another change takes place. Thus,
a decrease of probe cantilever stiffness occurs, which
manifests in a drop of the tilt angle of the elastic segment
of the force curves under USL. This outcome is explained
by the characteristic manner of the tip–surface contact
under US excitation.
0 100 200 300
-125
-100
-75
-50
-25
0
25
F
o
rc
e
[n
N
]
Vertical Position of Scanner [nm]
1
2
3
4
Fig. 4. Force curves at the tip retraction under the conditions of
USL. fUS = 4.1 МГц; ΔUS, Å: 1 – 0, 2 – 0.7, 3 – 3.0, 4 – 3.8.
The change of the surface–tip/particle interaction at
the moment of separation under US excitation can be
interpreted proceeding from the supposition that when a
microscope operates in the air, the main holding force is
the surface tension force of a water meniscus (of the
capillary force of an adsorbed from air layer of water),
which builds up between the tip apex and the surface. A
contribution of other forces (Van der Waals force,
electrostatic force etc.) is significantly smaller [29-34].
According to [29], the resultant capillary force
between a flat surface and a situated on it spherical
particle with the radius R (see Fig. 5):
Fcap = 2πRγ (cosθ1 + cosθ2),
where γ – surface tension of water; θ1, θ2 – wetting
angles of the fluid and the surface of the sample and the
surface of a particle, accordingly. It is worth noting that
when analyzing the interaction between a real sample
and a real particle with irregularities of their surface
geometry, one has to take into consideration the
formation of multiple water meniscuses on contacting
irregularities.
Expression (1) shows that if during an experiment,
the wetting angles are invariable, the magnitude of the
capillary attraction of a particle by the surface is
determined by the size of this particle and the surface
tension force of the layer of liquid adsorbed on the
surface. Under the US oscillations action in the direction
perpendicular to the surface, a certain modulation of the
tip–surface distance takes place. Since the frequency of
the native mechanical resonance of the probes employed
in the experiment was approximately 75 kHz, which is
greatly lower than the frequency of US oscillations, the
probe and the cantilever have to be considered as an
aperiodic bouncing inert mass [35]. The amplitude of
this bouncing can be several orders of magnitude greater
than the elastic vibrations displacement of the sample
surface (up to 5 Å) owing to the impulse the vibrating
surface imparts to the probe. Thus, there is research data
[37] showing that at ultrasonic amplitude of about 20 Å,
the probe deflection can be as large as 20 nm that is by
an order greater. Under such conditions, the optical
control system of the movements of the AFM tip
cantilever registers the averaged amplitude of its
fluctuations (bounces).
Fig. 5. The formation of a water meniscus between a flat
surface and a particle with radius R [31].
Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2010. V. 13, N 1. P. 36-42.
© 2010, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
40
0 7.5 15.0 22.5 30.0 37.5 45.0 52.5
0
2
4
6
8
10
T
ip
O
s
c
il
la
ti
o
n
A
m
p
li
tu
d
e
[n
m
]
Loading Force [nN]
60.0
Fig. 6. The dependence of the amplitude of the tip cantilever’s
vertical oscillations on the applied loading force at different
US amplitudes. fUS = 4.1 МHz; ΔUS, Å: 1 – 0, 2 – 0.7, 3 – 3.0,
4 – 3.8, 5 – 4.8.
Based on the force curves of the probe approach to
the surface, we determined dependencies of the averaged
amplitude of the probe vertical oscillations on the
pressing force the probe exerts on the surface at different
US oscillations amplitudes (Fig. 6). Zero value of the
excitation force corresponds to the moment of the
contact the probe makes with the surface, at the same
time, a jump-like holding of the probe takes place and
the cantilever from the state of equilibrium (beyond our
diagram) bends down. If the pressing force the probe
applies on the surface is approximately 4 nN, the
transitional process finishes. The curve of the surface
without USL illustrates the noise level in the
measurement system. The diagram demonstrates that at
the amplitude of ΔUS =0.7 Å and the excitation force not
exceeding 20 nN, the probe oscillates with the amplitude
of below 1 nm. Moreover, even though this amplitude of
the oscillations surpasses the amplitude of atomic
displacements in an US wave practically by an order of
magnitude, it is still too small to break a water meniscus,
and it damps the oscillations. At an increase of the tip–
surface contact force, the amplitude of the oscillations
somewhat rises, though does not exceed 2 nm. When US
is applied with an amplitude corresponding to the
disappearance of adhesive hysteresis on the force curves,
the tip gains subharmonic oscillations. The amplitude of
these vibrations increases and reaches the highest
magnitude at a small tip–surface contact force (Fig. 6,
curves 3–5). When the contact force goes up, the
oscillations amplitude somewhat decreases due to
damping of the tip’s bouncing off the cantilever surface,
unlike the cases with small US amplitudes, when an
increase of the contact force stimulates a better transfer
of an impulse from the surface.
Therefore, the vibrating under US action surface
can give the tip (and hence particles on the surface)
pushes in the vertical direction with amplitudes from
single digits up to decades of nanometres. In addition,
we can expect a change of effective wetting angles of
NP and the surface owing to visco-elastic excitations in
the adsorbed layer of fluid under the action of US.
Specifically, when US spreads to the fluid, one can
observe the expansion of the air bubbles found in the
liquid, which happens because the pressure inside them
surpasses the pressure in the surrounding fluid in the
area of an acoustic wave spreading, that is due to
acoustic cavitation (other cavitation mechanisms, such
as diffusion etc, at these US frequencies can be
disregarded). It is known that at the sound intensity of
the order of 1 W/cm2, cavitation processes take place in
a such effective manner that they can be perceived with
the naked eye. In our experiment, the sound intensity
was about eight times as small, however, here we have
to take into account that in this case we were dealing
with nanovolumes of liquid. Such formation of pulsating
cavities in liquid must result in a decrease of the average
force of atomic interaction and consequently, γ.
The abovementioned effects of the detachment of
AFM tip (NP) from the surface under the influence of
US oscillations are a well-known cause of a decrease of
the friction force when vibration displacements are
directed perpendicular to the contact area of two bodies.
These phenomena on a nanometer level are frequently
called sonolubrication, and, sometimes, acoustic
levitation [36-38]. Naturally, under the conditions of
water meniscus breaking and a decrease of the friction
force, nanoparticles whose size is significantly smaller
than the size of the AFM tip, will be repulsed from it. In
addition, as one can see in Figs 1 and 2, NP that were set
in motion do not touch each other after the action of US
stops, despite the fact of their arraying exactly along the
line of the AFM probe movement. Thus, vibrating NP
are effectively repulsed from each other, which is of a
great importance in the sphere of manipulations of
nanodisperse powders, where there exists a problem of
significant adherence among NP.
4. Conclusions
The modification of an atomic force microscope by
means of incorporating some additional units into its
structural setup for exciting ultrasonic oscillations in the
object under examination, made it possible to realize the
method of selective nanomanipulation of particles of
different sizes.
It has been demonstrated that under excitation of
US oscillations with the amplitude of atomic
displacements even in the order of 1 Å, nanoparticles on
the surface, when the probe approaches them, are set in
motion, which can be a result of an acoustically operated
decrease of the effective magnitude of the coupling
nanoparticles have with the surface. A change of US
amplitude is instrumental in the selection process of
particles, namely, an increase of the amplitude brings
about a transport of big-sized particles.
5
4
3
2
1
Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics, 2010. V. 13, N 1. P. 36-42.
© 2010, V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
41
This effect can be employed in the course of
manufacturing the model samples of nanostructures to
ensure separation and positioning the nanoparticles.
References
1. S Y. Takemura, J. Shirakashi, AFM lithography for
fabrication of magnetic nanostructures and devices.
// J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 304(1), p. 19-22 (2006).
2. Z. Davis, G. Abadal, O. Hansen, X. Borise,
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