Nanoscale objects like metal nanoparticles or nanowires with sizes down to a few nanometers are of great interest due to their size dependent electrical properties. However, the electrical addressing of such small objects is still a great challenge. Methods available so far base on lithographically fabricated electrodes and they are accompanied with huge technical efforts. Other methods like STM or conductive AFM have high local restrictions.

Our integrated manipulating/probing system within a SEM presented here allows us to image nanoscale objects as well as to manipulate and characterise them electrically in-situ by using up to four metallic tips. With this nanomanipulator system we can precisely address objects with nanometre precision. Additionally, any arbitrary area of interest on the sample can be addressed which gains enermous flexibility.

Using this versatile nanomanipulating system we performed electrical transport measurements on gold nanowires. These wires were prepared on prestructured substrates formed by MBE techniques, where layers of GaAs and AlAs form a periodic heterostructure. Lamellar structures of 2.5 nm and 20 nm width were obtained by selective wet chemical etching. These lamellae were then partitially covered with gold by selected angle evaporation to form metal nanowires. In this work we will show the electrical characteristics of individual nanowires recorded in-situ while imaging the structures in a SEM.

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