Review of nanomanipulators for nanomanufacturing

Abstract

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of nanomanipulator concepts, designs and practices in research, prototyping and fabrication of nanodevices. Limitations of existing nanomanipulation systems in use have been examined including the device sizes of orders of magnitude too large for in situ applications and parallel applications in nanomanufacturing. Design strategies, mechanisms and practical solutions have been investigated for nanaomanipulation with multiple degrees of freedom, needed for manufacturing complex nanodevices and nanosystems. Both macro- and micro-scale nanomanipulator designs and practices are examined.