Automated Mechanical Characterization of 2-D Materials using SEM based Visual Servoing

Nanorobotic techniques are well-known for characterization and processing of two-dimensional materials. However, until now, most of the proposed handling procedures required manual feedback. This article presents an automated handling approach of two-dimensional nanomaterials using a robotic setup inside a high-resolution scanning electron microscope. Applying image processing of the visual feedback provided by the electron microscope, a fully automated sequence is developed to align a robotic driven force sensor with sub-micrometer accuracy and to conduct nanoindentation measurements on a periodically perforated substrate. As an example, this automated sequence is utilized to examine the mechanical properties of a few-layer graphene membrane. The results of the mechanical characterization are compared to Raman spectroscopy data. The article discusses the advantages and restrictions of this technique and responds to further application scenarios.