AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Nanometer-Scale Science and Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session NS-ThM

Paper NS-ThM8
Study of High-Field Electron Transport in Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes by MCBJ Technique

Thursday, November 3, 2005, 10:40 am, Room 210

Session: Nanotube-based Devices
Presenter: M. Tsutsui, Kyoto University, Japan
Authors: M. Tsutsui, Kyoto University, Japan
Y. Taninouchi, Kyoto University, Japan
S. Kurokawa, Kyoto University, Japan
A. Sakai, Kyoto University, Japan
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Multi-wall carbon nanotubes are foreseen to be a promising candidate for interconnects within atomic and molecular transistors owing to their high current carrying capacity. However, there still remain some controversies on high-field electron transport in MWNTs, in particular the conductance versus bias voltage (G-V) characteristics. In the present study, we have investigated high-field electron transport in MWNTs utilizing mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique. One of the advantages in this technique is that electrode gap distance can be manipulated with pico-meter resolutions after MWNTs being suspended between the electrodes. Bridging of MWNTs over Au electrodes is accomplished by repeatedly breaking Au contacts in a nanotube-dispersed solution. Measured G-V characteristics show that the conductance of MWNTs linearly increases with the bias up to 3 V. An important role of the nanotube/electrode contact resistance on the electron transport through MWNTs is suggested from G-V characteristics acquired at various electrode separations. Bias-polarity asymmetry is observed in Joule heating effects on nanotube/electrode contacts at high biases, and its implications will be discussed in the presentation.