In situ monitored self-assembly of three-dimensional polyhedral nanostructures

The self-assembly of 3D nanostructures is a promising technology for the fabrication of next generation nanodevices and the exploration of novel phenomena. However, the present techniques for assembly of 3D nanostructures are invisible and have to be done without physical contact, which bring great challenges in controlling the shapes with nanoscale precision. This situation leads to an extremely low yield of self-assembly, especially in 3D nanostructures built with metal and semiconductor materials. Here, an in situ self-assembly process using a focused ion beam (FIB) microscopy system has been demonstrated to realize 3D polyhedral nanostructures from 2D multiple pieces. An excited ion beam in the FIB microscopy system offers not only a visualization of the nanoscale self-assembly process but also the necessary energy for inducing the process. Because the beam energy that induces the self-assembly can be precisely adjusted while monitoring the status of the self-assembly, it is possible to control the self-assembly process with sub-10 nm scale precision, resulting in the realization of diverse 3D nanoarchitectures with a high yield. This approach will lead to state-of-the-art applications utilizing properties of 3D nanostructures in diverse fields.