Fundamental performance limits of carbon nanotube thin-film transistors achieved using hybrid molecular dielectrics.
In the past decade, semiconducting carbon nanotube thin films have been recognized as contending materials for wide-ranging applications in electronics, energy, and sensing. In particular, improvements in large-area flexible electronics have been achieved through independent advances in postgrowth processing to resolve metallic versus semiconducting carbon nanotube heterogeneity, in improved gate dielectrics, and in self-assembly processes. Moreover, controlled tuning of specific device components has afforded fundamental probes of the trade-offs between materials properties and device performance metrics. Nevertheless, carbon nanotube transistor performance suitable for real-world applications awaits understanding-based progress in the integration of independently pioneered device components. We achieve this here by integrating high-purity semiconducting carbon nanotube films with a custom-designed hybrid inorganic-organic gate dielectric. This synergistic combination of materials circumvents conventional design trade-offs, resulting in concurrent advances in several transistor performance metrics such as transconductance (6.5 μS/μm), intrinsic field-effect mobility (147 cm(2)/(V s)), subthreshold swing (150 mV/decade), and on/off ratio (5 × 10(5)), while also achieving hysteresis-free operation in ambient conditions.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
Vinod K
VK
Sangwan
Rocio Ponce
RP
Ortiz
Justice M P
JM
Alaboson
Jonathan D
JD
Emery
Michael J
MJ
Bedzyk
Lincoln J
LJ
Lauhon
Tobin J
TJ
Marks
Mark C
MC
Hersam
D017097:Electric Impedance; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D014173:Transistors, Electronic
D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon