JP2005062006A - Method and apparatus for controlling adhesion directivity of carbon nanotube - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To arbitrarily control relative directions between an axis of a probe and an axis of a carbon nanotube being set at the head of a scanning probe microscope or held by a handling equipment such as carbon nanotube tweezers or the like, in order to improve its durability and precision and stability of measurements. <P>SOLUTION: The carbon nanotube 1 which temporarily adheres to the tip of the probe of the scanning probe microscope or the handling equipment, is dipped in liquid, and its fetching process is carried out. By repeating moving a joint section in the vertical direction which is the temporal adhesive section between the carbon nanotube 1 and the tip of the probe 2, so as to border on a liquid level, gaps existing in unjoint sections between the carbon nanotube and the tip of the probe are removed, and the axis of the carbon nanotube and the axis of the tip of the probe which are moved vertically, are operated so as to coincide with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a carbon nanotube adhesion direction control method and a direction control device.

  Conventionally, when carbon nanotubes are attached to the tip of a probe microscope, the carbon nanotubes in a bulk state are positioned while observing with an electron microscope, and when irradiated with an electron beam, carbon nanotubes are attached by depositing contaminants, and then pulled out. Produced a probe with nanotubes. For this reason, an expensive vacuum apparatus is required, it takes time to operate, and the relative position of both causes artificial variation.

  The present invention, for carbon nanotubes attached to a substrate such as a probe of a scanning probe microscope or a handling device probe such as carbon nanotube tweezers, arbitrarily control the relative position of the axis of the substrate and the axis of the carbon nanotube, The purpose is to improve measurement accuracy, stability, durability, and the like.

The present invention solves the above-described problems by the following method and apparatus.
1. The carbon nanotubes temporarily attached to the substrate, for example, the probe tip of a scanning probe microscope or handling device, are brought into contact with the liquid, and the interaction between the probe tip and the carbon nanotube is utilized by utilizing interactions such as capillary action and surface tension. Method and apparatus for controlling position.
2. A method and apparatus capable of facilitating operation and control by using electromagnetic interaction as an interaction in the above method.

Axis alignment of the carbon nanotube with the scanning probe microscope or the probe of the handling equipment can be easily performed. For this reason, it is possible to accurately measure the planar shape and force with good reproducibility.

  Carbon nanotubes temporarily attached to the tip of the probe of a scanning microscope or handling device are immersed in a liquid, and carbon is obtained by repeatedly moving up and down the junction between the base material and the carbon nanotubes with the liquid surface as a boundary. A method for controlling the direction of attachment of carbon nanotubes, which eliminates a gap that is an unbonded portion between the nanotubes and the base material, and controls the directionality between the axis of the carbon nanotubes that are moved up and down and the axis of the base material The directional control device is configured as the best mode.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a state in which a carbon nanotube 1 is temporarily attached to a probe 2 which is a tip of a short needle of a scanning probe microscope. As shown in the figure, there is an unbonded portion 3 between the probe 2 and the carbon nanotube 1, and in this state, the axis of the carbon nanotube 1 (which may be grasped as an assumed axis; the same applies hereinafter) and the probe 2 The axes do not match, making it difficult to say that the probe is ideal with carbon nanotubes.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for controlling the directionality of carbon nanotubes. Assume that the carbon nanotube 1 and the probe 2 are in the state shown in FIG. That is, the axes of the carbon nanotube 1 and the probe 2 do not coincide. In FIG. 2, the probe 2 with carbon nanotubes is lowered toward the liquid surface (liquid level) 5 of the liquid 4 and gently immersed in the liquid level 5. Then, the joint portion (temporary attachment portion) 7 between the probe 2 and the carbon nanotube 1, that is, the probe 2 is moved up and down several times with the liquid surface 5 as a boundary. As the liquid, it is desirable to use a non-volatile liquid that can use water, alcohol such as ethanol, methanol, propanol, butanol, or a mixture thereof. The volatilization rate can be adjusted by mixing two or more liquids having different non-volatile performances.

  By moving the carbon nanotube temporarily attached to the probe tip relative to the liquid surface, a force is applied to the carbon nanotube in the vertical direction by utilizing the capillary action and surface tension of the liquid. As a result, the carbon nanotube is positioned in the direction pulled out from the liquid surface. In the figure, the carbon nanotubes 1 that were initially in the A state are changed to the B state by the liquid capillary phenomenon and surface tension, and finally become the vertical direction.

  Thus, the direction of the carbon nanotube 1 is controlled by moving the probe 2 up and down several times with respect to the liquid surface 5 around the joint 7 between the probe 2 and the carbon nanotube 1. The unjoined portion between the two, that is, the gap disappears, and the axis of the probe 2 and the axis of the carbon nanotube 1 coincide.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the axis of the probe 2 and the axis of the carbon nanotube 1 coincide with each other by the above operation. In this way, the operation ends when both axes coincide. FIG. 3 shows a special case of relative movement, in which the tip of the probe 2 is moved relative to the liquid surface 5 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the probe 2 (side surface in this case) and carbon nanotubes. An example in which the axis of 1 is made to coincide with the vertical direction is shown. Thus, the direction of the carbon nanotube can be controlled by relative movement.

  In the above example, the probe 2 is installed in the vertical direction and the axis of the carbon nanotube 1 is aligned with this, but the probe 2 is tilted to control the carbon nanotube 1 in the vertical direction. When completed, it can be at a predetermined angle with respect to the carbon nanotube 1 and the probe 2.

The above operation can be performed in a state where an electromagnetic interaction is applied between the probe 2 and the carbon nanotube 1 by an electromagnetic field applying device. In FIG. 2, a pair of discharge sharp rods 12 of the electromagnetic field application device 11 are positioned near the joint 7 between the probe 2 and the carbon nanotube 1, and a potential difference is applied between both electrodes constituted by the discharge sharp rods 12. Apply electromagnetic interaction. This electromagnetic interaction works in a superimposed manner on actions such as capillarity and surface tension, making the direction control of the probe 2 axis and the axis of the carbon nanotube 1 more reliable and enabling rapid achievement.
FIG. 4 is a photograph showing that it was confirmed that the directions of the axis of the probe 2 and the axis of the carbon nanotube 1 were controlled by the above-described operation, the two axes coincided, and the tip end joining 13 was completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the carbon nanotube temporarily attached to the probe tip of the scanning microscope or the handling device is immersed in the liquid, and the joint portion which is the temporarily attached portion between the probe tip portion and the carbon nanotube is formed. By repeating the vertical movement with the liquid surface as a boundary, the gap between the carbon nanotube and the probe tip is eliminated, and the axis of the carbon nanotube being moved up and down and the axis of the probe tip are The carbon nanotube attachment directionality control method and the directionality control apparatus are configured so as to match the two.
Furthermore, a carbon nanotube adhesion direction control method and a direction control device are provided which add electromagnetic interaction to actions such as capillary action and surface tension generated by immersing the carbon nanotubes in a liquid and taking them out.

The figure which shows the probe to which the carbon nanotube adhered. The figure which shows the state which is making the probe of FIG. 1 move relative to the liquid level. The figure which shows the example which made the axis | shaft of a probe and the axis | shaft of a carbon nanotube correspond to the orthogonal | vertical direction by making the probe move relative to the liquid surface in the perpendicular direction as a special case of relative motion. A photograph showing that the relative position of the carbon nanotubes was controlled by the relative movement of the probe and the carbon nanotubes relative to the liquid surface.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Carbon nanotube, 2 ... Probe, 3 ... Unbonded part (gap), 4 ... Liquid, 5 ... Liquid surface, 6 ... Vertical movement of probe, 7 ... Joining part (temporary adhesion part), 11 ... Electromagnetic field application apparatus, 12 ... Discharge sharp rod.

Claims (5)

  Carbon nanotubes temporarily attached to a substrate such as a scanning microscope or the tip of a probe of a handling device are immersed in a liquid, and the joint portion between the substrate and the carbon nanotubes is moved up and down with the liquid surface as a boundary. It is characterized by controlling the directionality of the axis of the carbon nanotube that is moved up and down and the axis of the base material by eliminating the gap that is an unbonded portion between the carbon nanotube and the base material by repeating. To control the adhesion direction of carbon nanotubes.   In Claim 1, the said base material is vertically moved with respect to a liquid level, and a carbon nanotube is made to adhere to the said vertical direction with respect to the said base material, or a base material is moved up and down in an oblique state. A carbon nanotube attachment direction control method, comprising attaching carbon nanotubes at an arbitrary angle to a substrate.   2. The carbon nanotube attachment direction control method according to claim 1, wherein an electromagnetic interaction is added to an action such as a capillary phenomenon or a surface tension generated by immersing the carbon nanotube in a liquid.   Adhesion of carbon nanotubes, comprising a liquid part for immersing carbon nanotubes temporarily attached to a base material, and an operation device for moving the base material and the carbon nanotube junction part up and down with the liquid surface of the liquid part as a boundary Directional control device. 5. The carbon nanotube attachment directionality control device according to claim 4, further comprising an electromagnetic field application device for adding electromagnetic interaction to an action such as capillary action or surface tension generated by immersing the carbon nanotube in a liquid. .

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