Assembly inside a Scanning Electron Microscope using Electron Beam induced Deposition

In this paper a new assembly process inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is demonstrated. The process includes the separation and handling of a silicon nanowire and its bonding to an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe using electron beam induced deposition (EBiD). EBiD is carried out by using the electron beam of the SEM and a flexible mobile microrobot as transporter of the precursor gas. In addition, experiments are presented to investigate mechanical and chemical properties of the bonded nanowire. Real-time object tracking and image processing are used to measure the force applied to the Si-nanowire. In this way, the load and tension stress on the bonds can be calculated. Finally, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis is applied to the bonds to estimate their chemical composition