Micromanipulation of ZnO microrods using an Atomic Force Microscope
Abstract
ZnO rods are mechanically positioned on desired places using the semicontact mode of the AFM. During the micromanipulation process, we turned off the feedback system, moved the probe using the probe of the x,y,z scanner control while monitoring the oscillation of the cantilever. The z component of the force exerted during the manipulation is stronger compared to the force used in semicontact mode imaging. This study shows that micron-sized ZnO rods, grown using Aqueous Chemical Growth (ACG), can be manipulated without damaging the structures. This could further lead to positioning of ZnO structures on prefabricated contacts and be used in characterization of ZnO.