US Patent 7406859 - Piezoelectric cantilever rigidity control for AFM

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7406859.html

Atomic force microscopes are tools which provide researchers the ability to manipulate and inspect individual atoms, molecules, and nanostructures. These tools usually employ cantilevers having a sharp tip combined with a piezoelectric feedback mechanism to regulate the distance between the tip and a sample. However, when choosing rigid cantilever materials for the AFM some sensitivity is lost in the manipulation/detection while less rigid cantilevers are more difficult to control. This patent from Michigan State University teaches a controlled rigidity piezoelectric cantilever which attempts to optimize cantilever performance between rigidity and flexibility. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanomanipulation system for performing nanomanipulation operations in relation to a sample surface, comprising:

an atomic force microscope having a probe for performing nanomanipulation operations on the sample surface, where the probe includes a cantilever having a layer of piezoelectric material;

a position detector configured to ascertain deformation of the cantilever during a nanomanipulation operation;

an active probe controller adapted to receive data indicative of the deformation from the position detector and implements a control scheme based on the deformation data which maintains rigidity of the cantilever during the nanomanipulation operation, wherein the control scheme produces a control signal that is applied to the piezoelectric material of the cantilever.

US Patent 7381625 - Deterministic nanodevice construction using AFM

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7381625.html

The use of scanning tunneling microscopes and atomic force microscopes to position atomic and molecular structures goes back to work done by Don Eigler of IBM in the late 1980's. This patent from Michigan State University teaches a modification of these methods which scratches an electrode into two portions using an AFM tip and using the tip to position nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes between the electrodes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for constructing a nanodevice, comprising:

fabricating an electrode structure on a substrate surface;

forming a nanogap across the electrode structure, thereby forming a pair of electrodes;

dispersing a plurality of nanoobjects onto the substrate surface using electrophoresis; and

positioning one of the nanoobjects in relation to the pair of electrodes using a tip of an atomic force microscope, wherein the one nanoobject connects one of the electrodes to the other electrode.

US Patent 7297946 - Automated nanoassembly

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7297946.html

Tools for nanomanipulation have been developed since the late 1980's and 1990's by researchers at IBM working with scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopes. More recently companies such as Daiken Chemical and Zyvex have made proposals for alternative systems using nanotweezers and other scanning probe tools. This patent from researchers at Michigan State University proposes an automated system of nanoassembly starting from a random distribution of nanostructures and which takes advantage of computer aided design (CAD) techniques. Claim 1 reads:

1. An automated nanomanipulation system for manufacturing a nanoscale structure, comprising: a design model for a nanoscale structure comprised of two or more nanoobjects; image data of a sample surface upon which the nanoscale structure is to be manufactured, the sample surface having a plurality of randomly distributed nanoobjects from which the nanoscale structure is formed; a movable member configured to perform a nanomanipulation operation on the sample surface; a path planning subsystem adapted to receive the design model and the image data and operable to generate path data is indicative of a path for traversing the movable member along the sample surface such that the movable member manipulates one or more randomly distributed nanoobjects in accordance with the design model, and the path data.