IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Nanotubes: Science and Applications Topical Conference Wednesday Sessions
       Session NT-WeM

Paper NT-WeM3
Electrical Characterization of Carbon Nanotube - Metal Contacts

Wednesday, October 31, 2001, 9:00 am, Room 133

Session: Nanotubes: Nanoelectronics
Presenter: R. Vajtai, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Authors: R. Vajtai, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
B.-Q. Wei, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Y.V. Shusterman, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
K.A. Dunn, The University at Albany-SUNY
K. Dovidenko, The University at Albany-SUNY
L.J. Schowalter, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
P.M. Ajayan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Correspondent: Click to Email
Carbon nanotubes are excellent candidates to be used as interconnects or even active elements in nano-electronics. To harness the electrical properties of nanotubes in future nano-circuits, one needs to handle the most local neighboring effects such as contacting, insulation from the substrate and localized charges on the surface. Here we present results on spatially resolved electronic conductance of multiwalled nanotubes and nanotube networks on samples prepared by conventional and focused ion beam (FIB) lithography. Our results show that electrical potential changes along the nanotubes, drop at the contacts and spread into the perpendicular direction causing measuring difficulties for the nanoprobe, but also causing changes in the local electric field sensed by the nanotube. In this talk we will present the topographic and related spatially resolved electrostatic potential distribution in nanotube networks and we will describe the possible effect on the applications of nanotube-metal and nanotube-nanotube interconnects. Investigations made on similar configurations also showed long-term, high-current durability of the system, and low noise-factors resulting in most probably from the good coupling between the nanotubes and the metal electrodes.