Atomic Force Microscope-Based Nanorobotic System for Nanoassembly

Abstract

This chapter introduces nanomanipulation using atomic force microscope (AFM)-based augmented reality system, which overcome traditional shortcomings, through which the operator can not only feel the interaction forces, but also observe the real-time changes of the nano environment. To further enhance the reliability of the visual feedback, a local scan strategy is proposed to obtain the true manipulation result and be updated onto the visual feedback display. Random drift and faulty visual feedback are the main issues hindering the efficiency and effectiveness of any AFM-based augmented reality system. A local scan algorism is developed and implemented to the former-developed augmented reality system for solving these problems. The local scan algorism mainly includes two subprocess-Local Scan Before Manipulation (LSBM) and Local Scan After Manipulation (LSAM). LSBM is used to detect and compensate for the positioning error caused by the random drift. LSAM is used to sense the true manipulation result and correct the faulty visual display aroused from the modeling errors. Moreover, to fully automate the AFM-based nanomanipulation and improve its efficiency, the general framework of computer-aided design (CAD)-guided automated nanoassembly has been further developed. The experimental results demonstrate that AFM-based nanomanipulation has become very straightforward through the developed techniques and methods, in turn leading to a significantly improved effectiveness and efficiency. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.