Pick and place shape forming of three-dimensional micro structures from fine particles

Proposes a pick-and-place shape forming method: a unique fabrication method of 3D micro structures by heaping up fine particles typically ranging from 10 nm to 1 μm in size with a micro manipulator under scanning electron microscope monitoring. Particles are picked up by van der Waals force. Pick-and-place control is performed by the optimization of material combination and the trajectory of tool movement. This fabrication method has the following advantages: excellent forming resolution as small as 10 nm, wide range of material selection, freedom of the 3D structure, and quick and flexible fabrication. A pyramidal 3D structure made of 35 polymer particles of 2 μm in diameter is successfully fabricated to prove the effectiveness of the method. Since the structure of constructed device has almost the same size as that of light wavelength, it can perform as a quantum effect device in an optical field