Submicron- and nano-scale joining becomes increasingly important for assembly of individual nanowires into devices or experimental setups. For example, carbon nanotubes mechanically attached onto standard silicon cantilevers serve for high-resolution high-aspect atomic force microscopy (AFM). The joining is accomplished inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). By means of x-y-z positioning tables the carbon nanotube is brought into physical contact with the AFM cantilever. The contact area is now scanned with the focused electron beam which leads to either the formation of a carbonaceous deposit due to the hydrocarbon contamination backpressure inside the microscope chamber or to a metallic deposit if metal-organic carrier gases are introduced into the SEM chamber. The mechanical stability of these deposits for joining purposes can be studied in the same setup by in-situ observation and simultaneous monitoring of the force-distance curve of the such modified cantilever.

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