AVS 50th International Symposium
    Homeland Security Topical Conference Wednesday Sessions
       Session HS+MM-WeA

Paper HS+MM-WeA10
Carbon Nanotubes for Molecular Sensors and Electronic Circuit Elements

Wednesday, November 5, 2003, 5:00 pm, Room 309

Session: Detection of Explosives and Other Chemicals for Homeland Security
Presenter: M.J. Bronikowski, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
Authors: M.J. Bronikowski, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
D.S. Choi, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
M.E. Hoenk, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
B.D. Hunt, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
R.S. Kowalczyk, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
E.W. Wong, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
A.M. Fisher, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
B. Rogers, University of Nevada, Reno
J.D. Adams, University of Nevada, Reno
J. Xu, Brown University
J.F. Davis, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
L.W. Epp, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
D.J. Hoppe, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
Correspondent: Click to Email
This talk will focus on recent efforts at JPL's Microdevices Laboratory in developing several different types of nano-scale electronic devices based on carbon nanotubes (CNT). CNT exhibit a coupling between electronic structure and mechanical deformations: mechanical stress or deformation can result in charge injection into the nanotube, or likewise, charging of a nanotube can result in mechanical deformations. This electromechanical coupling can form the basis for nanotube-based oscillators, signal processors, and RF rectifiers. Nanotube electronic properties, specifically their resistance and current-voltage characteristic, can also change when various molecules bind to their surfaces. This property can form the basis for CNT-based chemical and molecular sensors. For both types of device, CNT are grown directly on silicon substrates in pre-patterned device structures: nanotubes grow by CVD from patterned arrays of particles of catalytic metals, with the pattern of the catalyst determining the pattern of CNT. Of key importance to producing devices by this means is controlled placement of catalyst on the substrate: several methods for generating catalyst patterns on surfaces and devices will be demonstrated and discussed.