The rapid development of nanotechnology has created a need for advanced nanohandling tools and techniques. One active branch of research in this area focuses on the use of microrobots for automated handling of micro- and nanoscale objects. Automated Nanohandling by Microrobots presents work on the development of a versatile microrobot-based nanohandling robot station inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM serves as a powerful vision sensor, providing a high resolution and a high depth of focus, allowing different fields of application to be opened up.

The pre-conditions for using a SEM are high-precision, user-friendly microrobots which can be integrated into the SEM chamber and equipped with application-specific tools. Automated Nanohandling by Microrobots introduces an actuation principle for such microrobots and presents a new robot design. Different aspects of this research field regarding the hardware and software implementation of the system components, including the sensory feedback for automated nanohandling, are discussed in detail. Extensive applications of the microrobot station for nanohandling, nano-characterization and nanostructuring are provided, together with the experimental results.

Based upon the Microrobotics course for students of computer sciences and physics at the University of Oldenburg, Automated Nanohandling by Microrobots provides the practicing engineer and the engineering student with an introduction to the design and applications of robot-based nanohandling devices. Those unfamiliar with the subject will find the text, which is complemented throughout by the extensive use of illustrations, clear and simple to understand.

Autorentext

Prof. Dr. Sergej Fatikow is a full professor and Head of the Institute for Microrobotics and Control Engineering at the University of Oldenburg, Germany. His research interests include different aspects of micro- and nanorobotics, microactuators and microsensors, robot-based nanohandling automation, and neuro-fuzzy robot control.

Zusammenfassung
What I want to talk about is the problem of manipulating and controlling things on a small scale stated Richard P. Feynman at the beginning of his visionary talk There´s Plenty of Room at the Bottom, given on December 29th 1959 at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society at the California Institute of Technology. Today, almost half a century after this first insight into unlimited opportunities on the nanoscale level, we still want and have to talk about the same issue. The problem identified by Feynmann turned out to be a very difficult one due to a lack of understanding of the underlying phenomena in the nanoworld and a lack of suitable nanohandling methods. This book addresses the second issue and tries to contribute to the tremendous effort of the research community in seeking proper solutions in this field. Automated robot-based nanomanipulation is one of the key challenges of microsystem technology and nanotechnolgy, which has recently been addressed by a rising number of R&D groups and companies all over the world. Controlled, reproducible assembly processes on the nanoscale will enable high-throughput manufacturing of revolutionary products and open up new application fields. The ultimate goal of these research activities is the development of automated nanomanipulation processes to build a bridge between existing precise handling strategies for micro- and nanoscale objects and aspired high-throughput fabrication of micro- and nanosystems.

Inhalt
Trends in Nanohandling.- Robot-based Automated Nanohandling.- Learning Controller for Microrobots.- Real-time Object Tracking Inside an SEM.- 3D Imaging System for SEM.- Force Feedback for Nanohandling.- Characterization and Handling of Carbon Nanotubes.- Characterization and Handling of Biological Cells.- Material Nanotesting.- Nanostructuring and Nanobonding by EBiD.