Manipulation of nano devices with optical tweezers

Abstract

Various nano devices such as nanotubes, nanorods, nanoribbon, and nanowires have been extensively studied, since they are the essential elements to build nanoelectronic circuits, nanochemical sensors, optical switches, etc. However, because the nano devices are very small in size and have different shapes, it is virtually impossible to manipulate them with conventional methods. This paper discusses the feasibility of using optical tweezers as a tool for manipulating such nano devices. The optical tweezers developed in this paper consist of two telescopes, a FSM (Fast Steering Mirror), and a control unit, such that multiple nano devices could be stably trapped at the specimen plane by rapidly rotating the FSM using the time sharing method. Through the experiments of manipulating the multiple micro spheres and nanorods in various ways, it was proven that the developed optical tweezers can be used as a versatile tool for manipulating nano devices and fabricating nano sensors.