US20080061031A1 - Nano-gripper and method of producing same - Google Patents
Nano-gripper and method of producing same Download PDFInfo
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- US20080061031A1 US20080061031A1 US11/927,976 US92797607A US2008061031A1 US 20080061031 A1 US20080061031 A1 US 20080061031A1 US 92797607 A US92797607 A US 92797607A US 2008061031 A1 US2008061031 A1 US 2008061031A1
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- gripper
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- arm
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 26
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 105
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 105
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 105
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 claims description 38
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 30
- 229910052814 silicon oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 30
- KWYUFKZDYYNOTN-UHFFFAOYSA-M Potassium hydroxide Chemical compound [OH-].[K+] KWYUFKZDYYNOTN-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 claims description 21
- 230000001815 facial effect Effects 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000007864 aqueous solution Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 230000001590 oxidative effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000523 sample Substances 0.000 description 22
- 238000000206 photolithography Methods 0.000 description 8
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 7
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 7
- 239000012212 insulator Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 7
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 6
- 238000000313 electron-beam-induced deposition Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000001459 lithography Methods 0.000 description 5
- NBIIXXVUZAFLBC-UHFFFAOYSA-N Phosphoric acid Chemical compound OP(O)(O)=O NBIIXXVUZAFLBC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 230000005684 electric field Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000007740 vapor deposition Methods 0.000 description 4
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 229910021393 carbon nanotube Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000002041 carbon nanotube Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000002070 nanowire Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000007254 oxidation reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229910021420 polycrystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 229920005591 polysilicon Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 229910000147 aluminium phosphate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 230000008602 contraction Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229960004838 phosphoric acid Drugs 0.000 description 2
- 235000011007 phosphoric acid Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000001020 plasma etching Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004544 sputter deposition Methods 0.000 description 2
- KRHYYFGTRYWZRS-UHFFFAOYSA-N Fluorane Chemical compound F KRHYYFGTRYWZRS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 240000007594 Oryza sativa Species 0.000 description 1
- 235000007164 Oryza sativa Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 229910052581 Si3N4 Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000013339 cereals Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000005229 chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 210000004209 hair Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910000040 hydrogen fluoride Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000009616 inductively coupled plasma Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910021421 monocrystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002159 nanocrystal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003647 oxidation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005268 plasma chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- -1 polysilicon Chemical compound 0.000 description 1
- 235000009566 rice Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- HQVNEWCFYHHQES-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicon nitride Chemical compound N12[Si]34N5[Si]62N3[Si]51N64 HQVNEWCFYHHQES-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B81—MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY
- B81C—PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
- B81C99/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- B81C99/0005—Apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of microstructural devices or systems, or methods for manufacturing the same
- B81C99/002—Apparatus for assembling MEMS, e.g. micromanipulators
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82B—NANOSTRUCTURES FORMED BY MANIPULATION OF INDIVIDUAL ATOMS, MOLECULES, OR LIMITED COLLECTIONS OF ATOMS OR MOLECULES AS DISCRETE UNITS; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT THEREOF
- B82B1/00—Nanostructures formed by manipulation of individual atoms or molecules, or limited collections of atoms or molecules as discrete units
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J15/00—Gripping heads and other end effectors
- B25J15/02—Gripping heads and other end effectors servo-actuated
- B25J15/0253—Gripping heads and other end effectors servo-actuated comprising parallel grippers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J7/00—Micromanipulators
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
- B25J9/0009—Constructional details, e.g. manipulator supports, bases
- B25J9/0015—Flexure members, i.e. parts of manipulators having a narrowed section allowing articulation by flexion
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82B—NANOSTRUCTURES FORMED BY MANIPULATION OF INDIVIDUAL ATOMS, MOLECULES, OR LIMITED COLLECTIONS OF ATOMS OR MOLECULES AS DISCRETE UNITS; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT THEREOF
- B82B3/00—Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures by manipulation of individual atoms or molecules, or limited collections of atoms or molecules as discrete units
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G7/00—Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for
- F03G7/06—Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B81—MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY
- B81B—MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES
- B81B2201/00—Specific applications of microelectromechanical systems
- B81B2201/03—Microengines and actuators
- B81B2201/031—Thermal actuators
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S977/00—Nanotechnology
- Y10S977/902—Specified use of nanostructure
- Y10S977/962—Specified use of nanostructure for carrying or transporting
Definitions
- an object of the present invention is to provide a nano-gripper which has, on its arms' tips, protrusions with a radius of curvature of the order of magnitude of nanometers formed without using high-precision lithography. Even when the nano-gripper is used to handle DNA's, etc. in a solution, its probe structure is not affected; therefore, the operator can control the gap between the protrusions easily and precisely.
- the nano-gripper can be mass produced easily, inexpensively.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide the process of producing the nano-gripper.
- the nano-gripper of the first or second feature which further comprises a pair of actuators, one of the actuators moving one of the arms and the other actuator moving the other arm to narrow and widen the gap between the tips of the protrusions.
- the nano-gripper of the third feature wherein the actuators are of a type of thermal expansion.
- a process of producing a nano-gripper with a pair of arms disposed side by side by using a base board including a insulating layer and a silicon layer with 001 facial orientation comprises the steps of (i) forming a long, narrow mask in the 010 direction in such a position on the top surface of the silicon layer as one of the arms is formed on one side of the mask and the other arm is formed on the other side of the mask, (ii) forming resist patterns on the silicon layer, the resist patterns corresponding in shape and position to the arms to be formed, (iii) etching the silicon layer to form a gripper-in-work with the mask, (iv) removing the resist patterns from the gripper-in-work, (v) oxidizing the exposed surface of the gripper-in-work with heat to change the surface into a silicon-oxide film, (vi) removing the mask from the gripper-in-work to expose the silicon zone below the mask, (vii) corrod
- FIG. 12 (A) is a sectional view taken along the allowed line XIIA-XIIA of FIG. 7 ;
- FIG. 15 is an illustration of another embodiment of the nano-gripper of the present invention.
- the reference numeral “G” is the nano-gripper, which comprises a pair of right and left silicon probes 35 and 35 formed on a pair of right and left insulator units 22 and 22 , which are formed on a base 11 .
- Each silicon probes 35 has an arm 71 .
- the main material is a silicon board 10 comprising a base layer 1 , an insulating layer 2 , and a silicon layer 3 with [001] facial orientation.
- the silicon board 10 is an SOI (silicon on insulator) board comprising a pair of upper and lower silicon layers and a silicon-oxide layer formed between the upper and lower silicon layers.
- the base layer 1 is a silicon (100), (111), or (110) base plate or made of silicon such as polysilicon, and is about 500 ⁇ m thick.
- the insulating layer 2 is of silicon oxide and about 2 ⁇ m thick.
- a resist film 5 for photolithography is formed on the mask film 4 by a spin coater or the like (Step 12 ).
- a linear mask (not shown) with a width of, for example, 70 ⁇ m is formed by photolithography and put on the resist film 5 .
- the resist film 5 and the linear mask are exposed to light and developed to produce a linear strip of resist 51 , which has the same width “W” as the linear mask.
- the width “W” of the linear strip of resist 51 is one of the important parameters governing the gap, or distance, “d” between the tips of protrusions 72 and 72 of the nano-gripper “G”
- right and left patterns of resist 61 and 61 which are symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of the mask 41 and have almost the same shapes as the right and left silicon probes 35 and 35 of the nano-gripper “G”, respectively.
- an aluminum film 8 is formed on the bottom surface of the base layer 1 by a vacuum evaporator or a sputtering device, and a resist film 90 is formed on the back of the aluminum film 8 by a spin coater (Step 31 ).
- the resist film 91 and the base layer 1 are exposed to light by an exposure device (Step 32 ). Then, the aluminum film 81 undergoes etching with phosphoric acid by using a phosphoric-acid etching bath to remove the resist film 91 (Step 33 ).
- the base layer 1 and the aluminum film 81 undergo etching by an ICP-RIE device to remove the base layer 1 except the part of it covered by the aluminum film 81 , the part becoming the base 11 (Step 34 ).
- the nano-gripper “G” can handle nano-objects such as DNA's, catching and releasing them.
- each arm has an actuator on one side alone to push it in one direction alone, it may have another actuator on the other side so that it can be pushed in two directions.
- Such actuators may be of an electrostatic type or a piezoelectric type.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Robotics (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Nanotechnology (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Micromachines (AREA)
- Manipulator (AREA)
- Apparatus Associated With Microorganisms And Enzymes (AREA)
Abstract
The nano-gripper of the present invention comprises (i) a pair of arms 71 and 71 disposed side by side, each arm 71 having a face at its front end, the front-end faces of the arms 71 and 71 facing each other, (ii) and a protrusion 72 with a tip formed on the front-end face of each arm, the tips of the protrusions 72 and 72 facing each other, the radius of curvature of each tip being 50 nanometers or less. Each protrusion 72 is a triangular-pyramidal silicon crystal with (001), (100), and (111) side faces.
Description
- This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 10/834,564 filed Apr. 28, 2004, which is currently pending and is a continuation of PCT/JP01/10443 filed Nov. 29, 2001.
- This invention relates to a nano-gripper and its production process. With a pair of tweezers, objects of the order of magnitude of millimeters such as grains of rice and hairs can be caught and handled, but objects of the order of magnitude of nanometers such as DNA's, particles on a liquid-crystal panel, and particles on a very-large-scale integrated-circuit board cannot be handles because the tips of tweezers are not sharpened to the order of magnitude of nanometers. This invention relates to (i) a nano-gripper with a pair of arms to catch and handle nano-objects such as DNA's and (ii) the production process of the nano-gripper.
- The minimum requirement of a nano-gripper is the tips of its arms such that their size is equal to or smaller than the size of objects to be handled. To handle nano-objects such as DNA's in particular with a nano-gripper, the tips of its arms have to be as minute as 50 nanometers or less. Such a nano-gripper is made by attaching carbon nano-tubes to the tips of probes for an interatomic-force microscope. Nano-grippers are also produced by electron-beam deposition and electric-field vapor-deposition methods. A known nano-gripper is twin probes with integrated actuators, which are made of silicon nano-wire produced by the electron-beam deposition or electric-field vapor-deposition method, or the anisotropy etching of silicon.
- The nano-grippers currently in use and their production methods have the problems below.
- (i) Arms for current nano-grippers made of carbon nanotubes or silicon nanowire or produced by the electron-beam deposition or electric-field vapor-deposition method are pillar-like, or post-like, slim members. Such a member is flexible in proportion to the 3rd power of its length (it bends easily under force applied to its tip). If such a member has a circular cross section, it is flexible in inverse proportion to the 4th power of its diameter. In other words, slim members such as nanowire have very small strength against bending force. DNA's and particles on VLSI boards are minute and have to be handled in a solution to prevent them from scattering or drying. While the tips of arms of a current nano-gripper are dipped in such a solution, its probe structure is affected by the viscosity of the solution.
- (ii) According to the electron-beam deposition or electric-field vapor-deposition method, arms in conformity with individual specifications are produced one by one in a vacuum device; therefore, highly controllable arms can be produced, but their industrial mass production is difficult. In addition, because a nano-gripper with an actuator of the order of magnitude of nanometers cannot be produced by the electron-beam deposition method or the like, it is difficult to control the gaps between the tips of arms of nano-grippers minutely.
- (iii) The production of twin probes with integrated actuators requires the steps of making a special composite board unavailable on the market and the extremely precise management of etching conditions; therefore, the production process of such twin proves with integrated actuators is too complex. If the management of etching conditions is inadequate, mass production with high repeatability and uniformity of such twin probes with integrated actuators is impossible.
- (iv) Although the tips of arms of a nano-gripper can be sharpened with high precision of the order of magnitude of nanometers with high-precision lithography, such lithography is costly.
- In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a nano-gripper which has, on its arms' tips, protrusions with a radius of curvature of the order of magnitude of nanometers formed without using high-precision lithography. Even when the nano-gripper is used to handle DNA's, etc. in a solution, its probe structure is not affected; therefore, the operator can control the gap between the protrusions easily and precisely. The nano-gripper can be mass produced easily, inexpensively. Another object of the present invention is to provide the process of producing the nano-gripper.
- According to the first feature of the present invention, there is provided a nano-gripper comprising (i) a pair of arms disposed side by side, each arm having a face at its front end, the front-end faces of the arms facing each other and (ii) a protrusion with a tip formed on the front-end face of each arm, the tips of the protrusions facing each other, the radius of curvature of each tip being 50 nanometers or less.
- According to the second feature of the present invention, there is provided the nano-gripper of the first feature, wherein each of the protrusions is a triangular-pyramidal silicon crystal with (001), (100), and (111) side faces.
- According to the third feature of the present invention, there is provided the nano-gripper of the first or second feature, which further comprises a pair of actuators, one of the actuators moving one of the arms and the other actuator moving the other arm to narrow and widen the gap between the tips of the protrusions.
- According to the fourth feature of the present invention, there is provided the nano-gripper of the third feature, wherein the actuators are of a type of thermal expansion.
- According to the fifth feature of the present invention, there is provided the nano-gripper of the fourth feature, wherein each of the thermal expansion-type actuators comprises a pair of expandable and contractable silicon arms and each arm has an electrode for letting electricity flow through the arms.
- According to the sixth feature of the present invention, there is provided a process of producing a nano-gripper with a pair of arms disposed side by side by using a base board including a insulating layer and a silicon layer with 001 facial orientation. The process comprises the steps of (i) forming a long, narrow mask in the 010 direction in such a position on the top surface of the silicon layer as one of the arms is formed on one side of the mask and the other arm is formed on the other side of the mask, (ii) forming resist patterns on the silicon layer, the resist patterns corresponding in shape and position to the arms to be formed, (iii) etching the silicon layer to form a gripper-in-work with the mask, (iv) removing the resist patterns from the gripper-in-work, (v) oxidizing the exposed surface of the gripper-in-work with heat to change the surface into a silicon-oxide film, (vi) removing the mask from the gripper-in-work to expose the silicon zone below the mask, (vii) corroding the silicon zone of the gripper-in-process with aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide, and (viii) removing the silicon-oxide film from the gripper-in-process.
- The features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly appreciated from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the nano-gripper of the present invention; -
FIGS. 2 and 3 is a flowchart of the process of producing the nano-gripper ofFIG. 1 ; - FIGS. 4 to 11 are illustrations of the steps of the process of
FIGS. 2 and 3 ; -
FIG. 12 (A) is a sectional view taken along the allowed line XIIA-XIIA ofFIG. 7 ; -
FIG. 12 (B), along the allowed line XIIB-XIIB; -
FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the part of the arms of the nano-gripper ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 14 is illustrations of the formation of the protrusions of the nano-gripper ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 15 is an illustration of another embodiment of the nano-gripper of the present invention; and -
FIG. 16 is an illustration of still another embodiment of the nano-gripper of the present invention. - Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the nano-gripper of the present invention will now be described.
- In
FIG. 1 , the reference numeral “G” is the nano-gripper, which comprises a pair of right andleft silicon probes left insulator units base 11. Eachsilicon probes 35 has anarm 71. - Each
arm 71 has a face at its front end, and the front-end faces of thearms protrusion 72 is formed on each front-end face, the tips of theprotrusions protrusion 72 is a silicon crystal in the shape of a triangular pyramid with (001), (100), and (111) side faces.Parts silicon probe 35 constitute an actuator and are provided withelectrodes electrodes silicon probes 35 is turned on and off, the actuators expand and contract thermally; accordingly, the pairedarms hinges protrusions protrusions - Now, the process of producing the nano-gripper will be described below.
- As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 4 (I), the main material is asilicon board 10 comprising abase layer 1, aninsulating layer 2, and asilicon layer 3 with [001] facial orientation. Preferably thesilicon board 10 is an SOI (silicon on insulator) board comprising a pair of upper and lower silicon layers and a silicon-oxide layer formed between the upper and lower silicon layers. - The
silicon board 10 may be a board comprising a base plate of glass and a single-crystal silicon layer formed on the base plate, or a board comprising a base plate of an amorphous material or polysilicon and an SOI layer formed on the base plate. If thesilicon board 10 is a board comprising a top silicon layer with [001] facial orientation and an insulating layer under the top layer, thesilicon board 10 may be of three- or four-layer structure. - The
base layer 1 is a silicon (100), (111), or (110) base plate or made of silicon such as polysilicon, and is about 500 μm thick. - The
base layer 1 may be of polysilicon or glass and preferably has a thickness of 100-1,000 μm. - The insulating
layer 2 is of silicon oxide and about 2 μm thick. - Preferably the insulating
layer 2 has a thickness of 0.1-5.0 μm. - The
silicon layer 3 is of silicon and about 30 μm thick. The surface of thesilicon layer 3 has [001] facial orientation. Accordingly, when a zone on thesilicon layer 3 is corroded away by etching with aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide and sinks to leave a recess, the bottom of the recess has [001] facial orientation and the side walls of the recess have [010] facial orientation. The details of this etching will be described later. - The first step of the process of producing the nano-gripper is to form a
mask film 4 of silicon nitride in the [100] or [010] direction of on the top surface of thesilicon layer 3 of thesilicon board 10 by vacuum or plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition), or sputtering (Step 11). Themask film 4 is amorphous and has no crystal orientation. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 4 (II), a resistfilm 5 for photolithography is formed on themask film 4 by a spin coater or the like (Step 12). Then, a linear mask (not shown) with a width of, for example, 70 μm is formed by photolithography and put on the resistfilm 5. The resistfilm 5 and the linear mask are exposed to light and developed to produce a linear strip of resist 51, which has the same width “W” as the linear mask. - The width “W” of the linear strip of resist 51 is one of the important parameters governing the gap, or distance, “d” between the tips of
protrusions
W=2t+d
where t is the thickness of thesilicon layer 3. If d and t are 10 μm and 30 μm, respectively, W is 70 μm. - Next, the
mask film 4 and the linear strip of resist 51 are exposed to light by an exposure device (Step 13). Then, as shown inFIG. 5 (IV), themask film 4 undergoes etching by an etching device (an RIE device) (Step 14). Then, a mask-removing liquid is jetted to themask film 4 to remove it except the part of it under the linear strip of resist 51. Thus, alinear mask 41 is formed under the linear strip of resist 51. Themask 41 has the same width as the above-mentioned linear mask and the linear strip of resist 51. Next, a resist-removing liquid is jetted to the linear strip of resist 51 to remove it and expose the mask 41 (Step 15). - Next, as shown in
FIG. 6 (V), a resistfilm 6 as thick as themask 41 is formed, around themask 41, on thesilicon layer 3 by a spin coater (Step 16). - Next, a mask for photolithography is put on the resist
film 6. The shape of the mask is the same as the shape of the nano-gripper with themask 41 between the silicon probes 35. The mask for photolithography is put on the resistfilm 6 and themask 41 so that the zone of the mask for photolithography corresponding themask 41 will overlap themask 41. The mask for photolithography is made by drawing the outline of the mask with a CAD program and drawing the outline on a mask sheet by a mask-producing device. Then, the resistfilm 6 and the mask for photolithography put on the resistfilm 6 and themask 41 are exposed to ultraviolet rays by a photolithography device to produce patterns of resist 61 and 61 on both sides of themask 41. - Thus, formed on the
silicon layer 3 are right and left patterns of resist 61 and 61, which are symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of themask 41 and have almost the same shapes as the right and left silicon probes 35 and 35 of the nano-gripper “G”, respectively. - Next, the
silicon layer 3, the right and left patterns of resist 61 and 61, and themask 41 are exposed to light by an exposure device (Step 17). Thus, thesilicon layer 3 is removed except such part of it as is covered by themask 41 and the patterns of resist 61 and 61. The part of thesilicon layer 3 left over is a gripper-in-work 31. The patterns of resist 61 and 61 undergo ICP-RIE (inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching) (Step 18). Then, the patterns of resist 61 and 61 are removed by a resist-removing liquid. Thus, a gripper-in-work 31 with themask 41 is exposed as shown inFIG. 7 (VII) (Step 19) - Next, as shown in
FIG. 7 (VIII), the gripper-in-work 31 undergoes thermal oxidation in an oxidizing furnace. Accordingly, the exposed surface of the gripper-in-work 31 is oxidized and thus becomes a silicon-oxide film 32, whereas the covered surface of the gripper-in-work 31 under themask 41 is not oxidized to become a linear silicon zone 33 (Step 20). Thesilicon zone 33 has the same width as themask 41. - Next, when the
mask 41 is removed by an etching device (Step 21), thesilicon zone 33 is exposed, as shown inFIG. 8 (IX). Thus, the gripper-in-work 31 except thesilicon zone 33 is covered with the silicon-oxide film 32. Thereference symbol 31A is the arm part. Thesilicon zone 33 runs in the center of thearm part 31A, and the right and lest sides of thesilicon zone 33 in thearm part 31A are covered with the silicon-oxide film 32. - Next, the
silicon zone 33 undergoes etching by aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide of 30 weight percent; accordingly, the silicon in thesilicon zone 33 is gradually corroded and thesilicon zone 33 sinks. - Thus, a ditch-
like etching hole 9 is formed in thearm part 31A, its bottom defined by thesilicon zone 33 being corroded and sinking, its front end defined by the silicon-oxide film 32, its both sides defined by silicon walls. More specifically, theetching hole 9 is defined by a (001) silicon face at its bottom, a (100) silicon-oxide face at its front end, two (010) silicon faces at its sides. Because the etching is made by aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide, a (100) silicon face is corroded more rapidly than a (111) silicon face. Accordingly, as the etching progresses, a silicon crystal is deposited in each of the right and left front-end corners of theetching hole 9 as shown inFIG. 14 . The two silicon crystals become theprotrusions 72. Because each silicon crystal is deposited on the basis of the (001) face, the (100) face, and one of the two (010) faces, a (111) silicon face is formed and exposed. Accordingly, eachprotrusion 72 is a triangular pyramid with (001), (100), and (111) side faces. Thus, twoprotrusions arms arms oxide film 32 has [100] facial orientation at the front end of theetching hole 9, eachprotrusion 72 is deposited at the angle of 54.7° to the silicon-oxide film 32 at the front end of theetching hole 9. - As described above, the
protrusions arms protrusions oxide film 32 at the front end ofetching hole 9, the tips ofprotrusions - The flowchart of
FIG. 2 is continued to that ofFIG. 3 . As shown in FIGS. 3 andFIG. 9 (XII), analuminum film 8 is formed on the bottom surface of thebase layer 1 by a vacuum evaporator or a sputtering device, and a resistfilm 90 is formed on the back of thealuminum film 8 by a spin coater (Step 31). - A mask (not shown) of the same shape as the
base 11 of the nano-gripper is put on the resistfilm 90. Then, the resist is developed to remove the resist andaluminum films film 91 and analuminum film 81 as shown inFIG. 10 (XIII). - As shown in
FIG. 10 (XIII), the resistfilm 91 and thebase layer 1 are exposed to light by an exposure device (Step 32). Then, thealuminum film 81 undergoes etching with phosphoric acid by using a phosphoric-acid etching bath to remove the resist film 91 (Step 33). - As shown in
FIG. 10 (XIV), thebase layer 1 and thealuminum film 81 undergo etching by an ICP-RIE device to remove thebase layer 1 except the part of it covered by thealuminum film 81, the part becoming the base 11 (Step 34). - Lastly, the gripper-in-
work 31 undergoes etching with hydrogen fluoride in a BHF etching bath for removal of the silicon-oxide film 32. - Through the above process, the nano-gripper “G” of the present invention is produced.
- Now the working and effect of the nano-gripper of the present invention will be described below.
- According to the process of producing the nano-gripper of the present invention, the surface of the gripper-in-
work 31 is oxidized to become a silicon-oxide film 32, except the part (silicon zone 33) of the surface cover by themask 41, in the step of thermal oxidization. Then, themask 41 is removed to expose thesilicon zone 33 in the step of mask removal, and thesilicon zone 33 is corroded with aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide and sinks in the step of silicon etching. Accordingly, theetching hole 9 is formed, its bottom defined by thesilicon zone 33 being corroded and sinking, its front end defined by the silicon-oxide film 32, its both sides defined by silicon walls. As the etching progresses, aprotrusion 72 is formed on the basis of the (001), (100), and (010) faces in each of the right and left front-end corners of theetching hole 9. Eachprotrusion 72 is a triangular pyramid with (001), (100), and (111) side faces. Because oneprotrusion 72 is formed in the right front-end corner of theetching hole 9 and theother protrusion 72 is formed in the left front-end corner, they are formed on the front-end opposite faces of thearms oxide film 32 is removed in the step of removal of the silicon-oxide film, and the part of the insulatinglayer 2 under thearms protrusions protrusions - Accordingly, the nano-gripper “G” is suitable for handling very minute nano-objects such as DNA's and cells. Because the tips of
protrusions 72 are as minute as objects to be handled, the electric properties of carbon nanotubes, nanocrystals, and so on can be measured. - Now, the nano-gripper “G” produced through the above process will be described in detail.
- As shown in
FIG. 1 , a pair of right and left silicon probes 35 and 35 is formed on a pair of right and leftinsulator units base 11. The width, length, and height of the base 11 are about 5 mm, 10 mm, and 0.5 mm, respectively. These dimensions are mere examples and may be set to any values depending on various uses. - Each
insulator unit 22 comprises 2 μm thick silicon-oxide layer strips 21A, 21B, and 21C. As each strip is made of silicon oxide alone, it functions as an insulator. - Next, silicon probes 35 will be described below.
- The paired right and left silicon probes 35 are symmetrical with respect to the center line therebetween. As the silicon probes 35 are made of silicon, they are conductive. When electricity flows through them, they expand with heat. Each
silicon probe 35 comprises anarm 71, aprotrusion 72, ahinge 73, and anactuator including parts - The width and length of each
arm 71 are about 250 μm and 1,250 μm, respectively. Protrusions 72 and 72 are formed on the front-end opposite faces of thearms insulator units arms arms - Each
protrusion 72 is in the shape of triangular pyramid with (001), (100), and (111) side faces, and its tip is sharp. The tips of theprotrusions - Each
arm 71 is supported on ahinge 73, which is supported on asupport 74; accordingly, when eacharm 71 is pushed and pulled, it swings. - A pair of L-shaped
parts arm 71. Theparts arm 71 constitute an actuator and are provided withelectrodes - The
support 74 and theparts silicon probe 35 are formed on the silicon-oxide layer strips 21A, 21B, and 21C, respectively, of theinsulator unit 22 of saidsilicon probe 35. - When a power supply connected to the
electrodes arms 71, which swing on thehinges 73. - With the above configuration, when the power supply is turned on, the gap between the tips of the
protrusions - In the above embodiment of the nano-gripper, although each arm has an actuator on one side alone to push it in one direction alone, it may have another actuator on the other side so that it can be pushed in two directions. Such actuators may be of an electrostatic type or a piezoelectric type.
- Another embodiment of the nano-gripper of the present invention is shown in
FIG. 15 . The nano-gripper is provided with piezoelectric actuators. The minute movement of the piezoelectric actuator can be controlled by voltage and it is free from drift; accordingly, it is suitable for minute positioning. - Yet another embodiment of the nano-gripper of the present invention is shown in
FIG. 16 . The nano-gripper is provided with electrostatic actuators, which make use of electrostatic force. A probe and an electrostatic actuator can easily be formed as one body and the displacement of the arm of the probe can be measured by measuring the capacitance of the actuator. Thus, the electrostatic actuator is preferable. - According to the first feature of the invention, because the tips of the protrusions of the paired arms of the nano-gripper face each other and their radii of curvature are 50 nm or less, the nano-gripper can handle nano-objects such as DNA's, catching and releasing them.
- According to the second feature of the invention, because the protrusions on the paired arms of the nano-gripper are hard silicon crystals, its probe structure is not affected even when the tips of the arms are dipped in a solution. Besides, the tip of the protrusion of each arm is the apex of a silicon crystal with (001), (100), and (111) side faces, its radius of curvature is as minute as 50 nm or less; therefore, the nano-gripper can handle DNA's in a solution, catching and releasing them.
- According to the third feature of the invention, the gap between the tips of the protrusions of the paired arms of the nano-gripper is narrowed and widened by extending and contracting the actuator of the nano-gripper. Thus, the nano-gripper can handle nano-objects, catching and releasing them.
- According to the fourth feature of the invention, because the expansion and contraction of the thermal-expansion actuators of the nano-gripper can be adjusted by changing the heating values of the actuators, the pinching force of the nano-gripper can easily be adjusted.
- According to the fifth feature of the invention, because the nano-gripper including its actuators can be formed as a single piece out of a
single silicon board 10, the nano-gripper can be mass-produced easily and inexpensively. Besides, because the expansion and contraction of the pairs of silicon arms of the actuators can be adjusted by changing the currents flowing through the pairs of silicon arms, the pinching force of the nano-gripper can easily be adjusted and the gap between the tips of the paired protrusions can precisely be controlled. - According to the sixth feature of the invention, the surface of the gripper-in-work is oxidized to become a silicon-oxide film, except the zone of the surface cover by the mask, in the step of thermal oxidization. Then, the mask is removed to expose the silicon zone in the step of mask removal, and the silicon zone is corroded with aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide and sinks in the step of silicon etching. Accordingly, an etching hole is formed, its bottom defined by the silicon zone being corroded and sinking, its front end defined by the silicon-oxide film, its both sides defined by silicon walls. More specifically, the etching hole is defined by a (001) silicon face at its bottom, a (100) silicon-oxide face at its front end, two (010) silicon faces at its sides. As the etching progresses, a protrusion is formed on the basis of the (001), (100), and (010) faces in each of the right and left front-end corners of the etching hole. Each
protrusion 72 is a triangular pyramid with (001), (100), and (111) side faces. Because oneprotrusion 72 is formed in the right front-end corner of theetching hole 9 and theother protrusion 72 is formed at the left front-end corner, they are formed on the front-end opposite faces of the arms, their tips facing each other directly. Then, the silicon-oxide film of the gripper-in-work is removed in the step of removal of the silicon-oxide film, and the part of the insulating layer under the arms of the gripper-in-work is removed in the step of removal of the insulating layer to finish the nano-gripper. Thus, the shapes of the paired protrusions are determined by crystal faces, and they, facing each other, are formed on the straight line of one crystal orientation; therefore, the tips of protrusions are given a radius of curvature of 50 nm or less without using high-precision lithography.
Claims (4)
1. A nano-gripper comprising;
a pair of arms disposed side by side, each arm having a base portion, the base portions of the arms being fixed to a base, each arm having a face at its front end, the front-end faces of the arms facing each other; and
a protrusion with a tip formed on the front-end face of each arm, the tips of the protrusions facing each other, the pair of protrusions being formed by etching a silicon crystal disposed between the front-end faces, the silicon crystal having a silicon-oxide film parallel to a (100) face of the silicon crystal and perpendicular to the front-end faces.
2. A process of producing a nano-gripper with a pair of arms disposed side by side by using a base board including an insulating layer and a silicon layer with (001) facial orientation, the process comprising the steps of:
forming a long, narrow mask in the (010) direction in such a position on the top surface of the silicon layer as one of the arms is formed on one side of the mask and the other arm is formed on the other side of the mask;
forming resist patterns on the silicon layer, the resist patterns corresponding in shape and position to the arms to be formed;
etching the silicon layer to form a gripper-in-work with the mask;
removing the resist patterns from the gripper-in-work;
oxidizing the exposed surface of the gripper-in-work with heat to change the surface into a silicon-oxide film;
removing the mask from the gripper-in-work to expose the silicon zone below the mask;
corroding the silicon zone of the gripper-in-process with aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide; and
removing the silicon-oxide film from the gripper-in-process.
3. A process of producing a nano-gripper, said process comprising the steps of:
providing a pair of arms disposed side by side, each arm having a base portion, the base portions of the arms being fixed to a base, each arm having a face at its front end, the front-end faces of the arms facing each other;
providing a protrusion with a tip formed on the front-end face of each arm, the tips of the protrusions facing each other, being formed by etching a silicon crystal disposed between the front-end faces, the silicon crystal having a silicon-oxide film parallel to a (100) face of the silicon crystal and perpendicular to the front-end faces;
wherein each of the paired protrusions in a triangular-pyramidal silicon crystal with (001), (100) and (111) side faces.
4. A process of producing a nano-gripper; said process comprising the steps of:
providing a pair of arms disposed side by side, each arm having a base portion, the base portions of the arms being fixed to a base, each arm having a face at its front end, the front-end faces of the arms facing each other
providing a protrusion with a tip formed on the front-end face of each arm, the tips of the protrusions facing each other, being formed by etching a silicon crystal disposed between the front-end faces, the silicon crystal having a silicon-oxide film parallel to a (100) face of the silicon crystal and perpendicular to the front-end faces; and
providing a pair of actuators, one of the actuators moving one of the arms and the other actuator moving the other arm to narrow and widen the gap between the tips of the protrusions.
Priority Applications (1)
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US11/927,976 US20080061031A1 (en) | 2001-11-29 | 2007-10-30 | Nano-gripper and method of producing same |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2001/010443 WO2003045838A1 (en) | 2001-11-29 | 2001-11-29 | Nano gripper and method of manufacturing the nano gripper |
JPPCT/JP01/10443 | 2001-11-29 | ||
US10/834,564 US7322622B2 (en) | 2001-11-29 | 2004-04-28 | Nano-gripper and method of producing same |
US11/927,976 US20080061031A1 (en) | 2001-11-29 | 2007-10-30 | Nano-gripper and method of producing same |
Related Parent Applications (1)
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US10/834,564 Division US7322622B2 (en) | 2001-11-29 | 2004-04-28 | Nano-gripper and method of producing same |
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US20080061031A1 true US20080061031A1 (en) | 2008-03-13 |
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ID=11737981
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US10/834,564 Expired - Lifetime US7322622B2 (en) | 2001-11-29 | 2004-04-28 | Nano-gripper and method of producing same |
US11/927,976 Abandoned US20080061031A1 (en) | 2001-11-29 | 2007-10-30 | Nano-gripper and method of producing same |
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US10/834,564 Expired - Lifetime US7322622B2 (en) | 2001-11-29 | 2004-04-28 | Nano-gripper and method of producing same |
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US (2) | US7322622B2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4167597B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR100804031B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1558868A (en) |
AU (1) | AU2002224125A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2003045838A1 (en) |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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JPWO2003045838A1 (en) | 2005-04-07 |
US7322622B2 (en) | 2008-01-29 |
US20050029827A1 (en) | 2005-02-10 |
CN1558868A (en) | 2004-12-29 |
WO2003045838A1 (en) | 2003-06-05 |
AU2002224125A1 (en) | 2003-06-10 |
JP4167597B2 (en) | 2008-10-15 |
KR100804031B1 (en) | 2008-02-18 |
KR20040070192A (en) | 2004-08-06 |
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