Design parameters for voltage-controllable directed assembly of single nanoparticles

TL;DR

This paper presents a voltage-controlled electrostatic system for precise single nanoparticle assembly, using nonlinear electrostatic modeling to identify optimal parameters for reliable nanomanufacturing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel electrostatic gating design and parameter optimization method for controlled nanoparticle placement at ambient conditions.

Findings

Successful design of voltage-controllable nanoparticle assembly system

Identification of key parameters for single-particle selectivity

Optimal design parameters for ambient temperature operation

Abstract

Techniques to reliably pick and place single nanoparticles into functional assemblies are required to incorporate exotic nanoparticles into standard electronic circuits. In this paper we explore the use of electric fields to drive and direct the assembly process, which has the advantage of being able to control the nano-assembly process at the single nanoparticle level. To achieve this, we design an electrostatic gating system, thus enabling a voltage controllable nanoparticle picking technique. Using the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation, we can successfully characterise the parameters required for single-particle placement, the key being single particle selectivity, in effect designing a system that can achieve this controllably. We then present the optimum design parameters required for successful single nanoparticle placements at ambient temperatures, an important requirement for nanomanufacturing processes.