An atomic force microscope nanoscalpel for nanolithography and biological applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Precise manipulation and fabrication at the nanoscale are crucial for advancing nanoelectronics and cell biology.
• Existing tools often lack the required precision or force control for delicate nanoscale operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize novel nanoscalpels for nanolithography and nanomechanical manipulation.
• To demonstrate the application of nanoscalpels in precise cutting and mechanical property measurements of biological objects.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of nanoscalpels using electron beam induced deposition on atomic force microscope probes.
• Characterization of nanoscalpel dimensions (20-30 nm thickness, 100-200 nm width) and cutting capabilities.
• Application of nanoscalpels for nanolithography on gold layers and nanosurgery on mammalian cells.

Main Results:

• Nanoscalpels demonstrated sufficient hardness to cut a 45 nm gold layer, enabling narrow electrode gap fabrication.
• Simultaneous control of cutting force and depth was achieved using the atomic force microscope platform.
• Successful incisions and local elastic/inelastic property measurements were performed on mammalian cells.

Conclusions:

• Nanoscalpels are effective tools for precise nanolithography and creating nanoelectronic devices.
• Nanoscalpels can be utilized as nanosurgical instruments for cell biology research.
• The developed nanoscalpels offer a versatile platform for nanofabrication and nanosurgery on biological samples.