AFM based anodic oxidation and its application to oxidative cutting and welding of CNT

Probe anodic oxidation by atomic force microscope (AFM) is one of the most important techniques in fabricating nano structures and devices. The technique was further studied in this paper. By analyzing the distribution of the electric field on substrate surface the dependence of oxide characters on field was discussed. The impacts of various parameters on oxide fabrication were experimentally studied. Based on these studies, we realized the oxidative cutting and welding of carbon nanotube (CNT) by the AFM based oxidation technique and provided a novel technique for the assembly and fabrication of CNT based nano devices.