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Quantification of forces on the manipulation of individual nano-objects in in situ experiments of electron microscopy

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Author(s):
Vitor Toshiyuki Abrão Oiko
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Master's Dissertation
Press: Campinas, SP.
Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Daniel Mário Ugarte; Antonio Domingues dos Santos; Fernando Alvarez
Advisor: Daniel Mário Ugarte
Abstract

The study of nanosystems has attracted great attention in recent years, mainly due to their novel possible technological applications. Many efforts have been made in this area, however there are still several open questions concerning the comprehension of such systems. One of the biggest challenges is the manipulation and the controlled positioning of nano-objects, together with the quantification of the forces involved and the mechanical characterization at the nanoscale. Many advances have been achieved with the combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Unfortunately, in these experiments the force sensor is also applied to generate the sample's images. It doesn't allow the system's visualization simultaneously with the stress application. Other experiments are performed in situ electron microscopes where special sample-holders with AFM cantilevers are used. It combines then the ability of observing the nanosystem directly to the possibility of applying and measuring forces in nanometric scale. In this dissertation it is studied an alternative to the fabrication of a force sensor based on quartz tuning forks. This sensor will be used on nanomanipulation experiments. The project covered all the aspects necessary to the sensor's instrumentation, design, construction and implementation. The sensor was attached to a nanomanipulator that operates inside a high resolution scanning electron microscope. Semiconductor nanowires (InP, a few microns in length and 50-200nm in diameter) were manipulated and deformed with this experimental setup. The force quantification was based on microscopy images of the deformed nanowires and on theoretical model of elastic deformations. The force values were correlated with the variations of tuning fork's resonant curves in order to obtain a calibration curve for the sensor. Sensitivity of 0:5m N were achieved based only on changes on electrical signals fed to the quartz tuning fork (AU)