  Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has presented a revolutionary methodology
to the nanoscience and nanotechnology. It enables imaging the topography of
surfaces, mapping the distribution of electronic density of states, and
manipulating individual atoms and molecules, all at the atomic resolution. In
particular, the atom manipulation capability has evolved from fabricating
individual nanostructures towards the scalable production of the atomic-sized
devices bottom-up. The combination of precision synthesis and in situ
characterization of the atomically precise structures has enabled direct
visualization of many quantum phenomena and fast proof-of-principle testing of
quantum device functions with real-time feedback to guide the improved
synthesis. In this article, several representative examples are reviewed to
demonstrate the recent development of atomic scale manipulation. Especially,
the review focuses on the progress that address the quantum properties by
design through the precise control of the atomic structures in several
technologically relevant materials systems. Besides conventional STM
manipulations and electronic structure characterization with single-probe STM,
integration of multiple atomically precisely controlled probes in a multiprobe
STM system vastly extends the capability of in situ characterization to a new
dimension where the charge and spin transport behaviors can be examined from
mesoscopic to atomic length scale. The automation of the atomic scale
manipulation and the integration with the well-established lithographic
processes would further push this bottom-up approach to a new level that
combines reproducible fabrication, extraordinary programmability, and the
ability to produce large-scale arrays of quantum structures.
