A Closed-Loop Controlled Nanomanipulation System for Probing Nanostructures Inside Scanning Electron Microscopes

Probing nanostructures (e.g., nanoelectronics) requires accurate and precise nanopositioning. Furthermore, since measuring I-V data from dc to GHz typically takes more than a minute, tolerance for position drift is stringent during the data collection process. This paper reports a closed-loop controlled nanomanipulation system for operation inside a scanning electron microscope. A new position sensing method with low power consumption is used to achieve nanometer sensing resolution and effective heat dissipation management. For automated probing of nanostructures, the position sensor-based closed-loop probing approach was found to be four times faster than visually servoed probing, and ten times faster compared to manual operation. Probing accuracy was determined to be better than 3 nm and a drift rate lower than 1 nm/min.