Nanorobotic handling of few-layer graphene membranes using a combined AFM/SEM/FIB setup

Abstract

This paper presents a new experimental approach for pick and place handling of few-layer graphene nanomembranes with side length of 10 μm and below. In the as-received condition, the membranes are freely suspended on a grid which is covered with a lacey carbon film. Using focused ion beam cutting and a nanorobotic driven tungsten tip, selected membrane-fragments can be separated from the grid and transferred to any chosen substrate with high accuracy. As an example, one membrane is placed on a hole with a diameter of 5 μm on a Si/SiO2 sample. Subsequently, the membrane is fixed and mechanically characterized. The paper investigates the advantages, the opportunities and the limits of this technique in particular with regard to possible applications.