Fabrication and study of specialized single nanowhisker probes are performed for high-precision investigation of elements such as nanospheres and nanorods using the atomic force microscopy. It was found that single nanowhisker probe significantly increases the resolution and contrast of images obtained in the semi-contact mode. Furthermore, the roughness analysis and adhesion forces are investigated in contact mode to comprehensively characterize properties of nanospherical and nanorod electronic structures. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Nanomechanical oscillators based on amorphous carbon whiskers, localized on the top of tungsten tip were fabricated and investigated. The whiskers were grown in the scanning electron microscope chamber using focused electron beam technique. Oscillation trajectories and amplitude-frequency characteristic of the oscillator were visualized at low and ambient pressure using a scanning electron microscope and a confocal laser-scanning microscope, respectively. We experimentally show that at ambient pressure, the resonant frequency decreases significantly but the Q-factor of the oscillator unexpectedly increases with respect to experimental data acquired at low pressure. The explanation was provided taking into account the role of thin water layer absorbed on the whisker from atmosphere. The model of the coupled oscillators is considered. (C) 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Fabrication and study of specialized single nanowhisker probes are performed for high-precision investigation of elements such as nanospheres and nanorods using the atomic force microscopy. It was found that single nanowhisker probe significantly increases the resolution and contrast of images obtained in the semi-contact mode. Furthermore, the roughness analysis and adhesion forces are investigated in contact mode to comprehensively characterize properties of nanospherical and nanorod electronic structures. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

This paper presents a new method for formation of metallic nanostructures on the surface of ion-exchange glass. The method is based on the interaction of a focused electron beam with ions in ion-exchange glass. In experiments nanostructures with different shapes were obtained, depending on the electrons irradiation conditions.

Nanomechanical oscillators (NMO) on the basis of crystalline W (tungsten) microwhiskers and amorphous C (carbon) nanowhiskers localized on the top of W tips are created and studied. Trajectories of single and coupled resonant oscillations are visualized, resonant frequencies and quality factor of NMO are determined. Trajectories of coupled resonant oscillations of NMO are simulated. Calculation results are qualitatively in agreement with the experimental data.

We review methods and instruments for micromanipulation in electron microscopes. This kind of manipulation allows handling of individual micro- and nanoobjects with nanometer precision. Most known micromanipulation technique in an electron microscope is mechanical (or contact) manipulation. In this case positioning of an object is performed either with a needle-shaped probe tip or with a microgripper attached to a micromanipulator, while the electron microscope serves as an imaging tool. The other possibility is non-contact manipulation which is based on intrinsic features of the electron microscope. For instance an electron beam could charge illuminated objects which may cause their motion resulted from electrostatic interaction. Another feature is generation of electromagnetic field by passing electrons; this causes polarization of the object and therefore its movement. The review consists of four sections. In the first section we describe forces which act on a supported particle under electron beam illumination. Second part is dedicated to mechanical manipulation where we review various commercial and hand-made systems. In particular, we pay special attention to non-standard manipulation techniques (such as automatic manipulation) or investigation of mechanical properties of micro- and nanoobjects (adhesion, hardness, friction) using micromanipulators. The third and forth parts describe electrostatic and electromagnetic manipulation methods, respectively. These methods are much less known and the number of publications related to them is quite limited, therefore we describe each work in details. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.