Physics of Carbon Nanotube Devices

Chapter 4. Electronic Devices

4.1. Introduction

Given the semiconducting character of two thirds of carbon nanotubes, their high aspect ratio and structural robustness, it is natural to ask if semiconducting carbon nanotubes can be used as active elements in nanoscale electronic devices. Indeed, there has now been many demonstrations of such devices, ranging from two-terminal rectifiers to field-effect transistors. These demonstrations have spurred tremendous interest in the field of carbon nanotube electronics for several reasons. First, for a single nanotube device, the channel width is on the order of one nanometer, much smaller than state-of-the-art silicon transistors, promising higher device densities. Second, carbon nanotubes have low ...