Micro and Nanorobotic Assembly Using Dielectrophoresis

The contact phase of an assembly task involving micro and nano objects is complicated by the presence of surface and intermolecular forces such as electrostatic, surface-tension and Van der Waals forces. Assembly strategies must account for the presence of these forces in order to guarantee successful repeatable micro and nanoassemblies with high precision. A detailed model for this electrostatic interaction is developed and analyzed. Based on the results of this analysis, dielectrophoretic assembly principles of MEMS/NEMS devices are proposed and experimentally verified with microtweezers for micro Ni parts and with nanoelectrodes fabricated with electron-beam lithography for carbon nanotube assembly. The successful manipulation and assembly of single carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using dielectrophoretic forces produced by nanoelectrodes will lead to a higher integration of CNTs into both nanoelectronics and NEMS.