title: Fringing-field dielectrophoretic assembly of ultrahigh-density semiconducting nanotube arrays with a self-limited pitch.
abstract: One key challenge of realizing practical high-performance electronic devices based on single-walled carbon nanotubes is to produce electronically pure nanotube arrays with both a minuscule and uniform inter-tube pitch for sufficient device-packing density and homogeneity. Here we develop a method in which the alternating voltage-fringing electric field formed between surface microelectrodes and the substrate is utilized to assemble semiconducting nanotubes into well-aligned, ultrahigh-density and submonolayered arrays, with a consistent pitch as small as 21±6 nm determined by a self-limiting mechanism, based on the unique field focusing and screening effects of the fringing field. Field-effect transistors based on such nanotube arrays exhibit record high device transconductance (>50 μS μm(-1)) and decent on current per nanotube (~1 μA per tube) together with high on/off ratios at a drain bias of -1 V.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Sciences, IBM T.J. Watson Research Centre, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, USA.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Sciences, IBM T.J. Watson Research Centre, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, USA.
authors.forename: Shu-jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Sciences, IBM T.J. Watson Research Centre, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, USA.
authors.forename: George S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Tulevski