Nanostructure devices and fabrication method

Abstract

An ion flux is directed to a carbon nanotube to permanently shape, straighten and/or bend the carbon nanotube into a desired configuration. Such carbon nanotubes have many properties that make them ideal as probes for Scanning Probe Microscopy and many other applications.

1 . A method comprising:
 altering a shape of a prefabricated nanostructure to mold the nanostructure into a desired configuration.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 applying an ion flux or beam to alter the shape of the prefabricated nanostructure.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the ion flux or beam is applied in a given direction to alter the shape of the prefabricated nanostructure in the given direction. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nanostructure is a carbon nanotube. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the altering of the shape of the nanostructure includes one or more of:
 bending the nanostructure in a desired direction;   bending the nanostructure in multiple directions;   generating a sharp bend in the nanostructure in a desired direction;   generating multiple bends in the nanostructure;   generating multiple sharp bends in the nanostructure;   straightening a preexisting bend in the nanostructure; or   imparting directionality to the nanostructure.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the sharp bend is used for defining electromagnetic phenomena. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nanostructure that is molded into the desired configuration is suitable for forming a probe tip. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the probe tip is used in at least one of:
 an atomic force microscope; or   a scanning probe microscope.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nanostructure that is molded into the desired configuration is suitable for use in at least one of:
 a nanostructure antenna;   nanostructure tweezers;   a nanostructure manipulator device;   a nanostructure actuator device; or   a nanostructure lever arm.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nanostructure that is molded into the desired configuration is suitable for use in at least one of:
 a field emitter;   a sensor;   a logic device;   an electrical contact; or   an electrical interconnect.   
     
     
         11 . A device comprising:
 a nanostructure that is molded into a desired configuration, wherein the nanostructure is molded into the desired configuration by altering a shape of the nanostructure in a desired direction.   
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein an ion flux or beam is applied from an ion source to the nanostructure to alter the shape of the nanostructure. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the ion flux or beam is applied in a given direction to alter the shape of the nanostructure in the given direction. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the ion source causes the nanostructure to bend in a direction of the ion flux or beam. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the nanostructure is a carbon nanotube. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the altering of the shape of the nanostructure includes one or more of:
 bending the nanostructure in a desired direction;   bending the nanostructure in multiple directions;   generating a sharp bend in the nanostructure in a desired direction;   generating multiple bends in the nanostructure;   generating multiple sharp bends in the nanostructure;   straightening a preexisting bend in the nanostructure; or   imparting directionality to the nanostructure.   
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the sharp bend is used for defining electromagnetic phenomena. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein a unidirectional ion flux is applied onto the nanostructure to impart directionality to the nanostructure. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the ion flux or beam comprises energetic ions supplied by an ion source. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the ion source comprises a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) instrument 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the FIB instrument comprises a dual beam FIB instrument having means for providing an electron beam and an ion beam. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the FIB instrument is operated in a mode selected from a group consisting of an etch mode and a raster scanning mode. 
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the ion source comprises a gallium ion source. 
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the ion flux or beam is focused. 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the ion flux or beam is diffuse. 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the ion flux or beam comprises at least one ion beam. 
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the ion source comprises operating parameters selected from a group consisting of an ion beam current, an acceleration voltage, a dwell time and a beam density, further wherein the operating parameters of the ion source are optimized to tailor a modification of the nanostructure. 
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the nanostructure that is molded into a desired configuration is suitable for forming a probe tip. 
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein the probe tip is used in at least one of:
 an atomic force microscope; or   a scanning probe microscope.   
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the nanostructure that is molded into a desired configuration is suitable for use in at least one of:
 a nanostructure antenna;   a nanostructure tweezer;   a nanostructure manipulator device;   a nanostructure actuator device; or   a nanostructure lever arm.   
     
     
         31 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the nanostructure that is molded into a desired configuration is suitable for use in at least one of:
 a field emitter;   a sensor;   a logic device;   an electrical contact; or   an electrical interconnect.   
     
     
         32 . A device comprising:
 a carbon nanotube (CNT) that is molded into a desired configuration, wherein an ion flux radiation from an ion source is applied to mold the CNT into the desired configuration by altering a shape of the CNT in a direction relative to a direction of the ion flux radiation.   
     
     
         33 . The device of  claim 32 , wherein the CNT is a single walled structure grown using a thermal chemical vapor deposition process. 
     
     
         34 . The device of  claim 32 , wherein the CNT is a multi-walled structure grown using a thermal chemical vapor deposition process. 
     
     
         35 . The device of  claim 32 , wherein the CNT is suitable for forming a probe tip. 
     
     
         36 . The device of  claim 35 , wherein the probe tip is used in at least one of:
 an atomic force microscope; or   a scanning probe microscope.   
     
     
         37 . The device of  claim 32 , wherein the CNT is suitable for use in at least one of:
 a nanotube based antenna device;   nanotube tweezers;   a nanotube based manipulator device;   a nanotube based actuator; or   a nanotube based lever arm.   
     
     
         38 . The device of  claim 32 , wherein the CNT is suitable for use in at least one of:
 a field emitter;   a sensor;   a logic device;   an electrical contact; or   an electrical interconnect.   
     
     
         39 . The device of  claim 32 , wherein a dual-beam structure is utilized to apply the ion flux radiation. 
     
     
         40 . The device of  claim 39 , wherein the dual-beam structure includes an electron beam component and an ion beam component. 
     
     
         41 . The device of  claim 32 , wherein the altering of the shape of the CNT includes one or more of:
 bending the nanostructure in a desired direction;   bending the nanostructure in multiple directions;   generating a sharp bend in the nanostructure in a desired direction;   generating multiple bends in the nanostructure;   generating multiple sharp bends in the nanostructure;   straightening a preexisting bend in the nanostructure; or   imparting directionality to the nanostructure.