Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
The potential use of carbon nanotubes (CNT) as interconnects requires also new characterization approaches as the existing ones are optimized for three-dimensional materials and do not work for inherently one-dimensional structures like CNTs. Therefore, we have developed a so-called pick-and-place process which allows to remove an individual CNT from a specific site and to place it at another location for further analysis. The approach is based on nanomanipulation combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This paper presents the pick-and-place concept and explains the different steps required for its successful application. We further demonstrate its power by characterizing individual CNTs using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The developed pick-and-place approach overcomes the challenge of site-specific analysis of CNT interconnects and strongly facilitates the routine analysis of CNTs.