the current applied to the carbon nanotubes serving as the electrodes and the sample is preferably 0 1 na to 100 na an example of a method of operating the carbon nanotubes and thereby connecting them to an arbitrary portion of the sample molecule is a method in which an atomic force microscope hereinafter referred to as an u201c afm u201d is used the afm is a measuring device which measures when a sharp probe mounted to a cantilever scans the surface of a sample the amount of deflection of the cantilever by using an optical lever method which amount is obtained corresponding to the irregularities of the sample surface such that an image of the irregularities of the sample is obtained however since an ordinary afm has only one probe a multi probe afm having three or more probes is preferably used one example of the multi probe afm which can operate the carbon nanotubes and apply the electric current thereto is shown in fig2 three probes are used in the multi probe afm further one of the three probes namely a carbon nanotube probe 30 a is used for the atomic force microscope afm the carbon nanotube probe 30 a is fixed to the tip of a scanning portion 36 which is formed in a pyramidal shape and supported by a probe support 34 a further another two carbon nanotube probes 30 b and 30 c are fixed to an end of a probe support 34 b so as to form a substantially inverted u201c v u201d shape and are electrically independent from each other the probe support 34 b is joined to a piezoactuator 32 and structured so as to.