Physics of Carbon Nanotube Devices

Chapter 7. Optoelectronic Devices

7.1. Introduction

From the discussion in the previous chapters, it is clear that there has been much work to establish the basic physics that governs electronic devices made with carbon nanotubes. As these electronic devices become better understood, they can be utilized as the fundamental building blocks to achieve additional functionality; an example of an emerging area of research in this direction is that of opto-electronics with carbon nanotubes. The interest in carbon nanotube opto-electronics arises because nanotubes have several properties that make them excellent opto-electronic materials. For example, an important characteristic of opto-electronic materials is the presence of a direct bandgap, which ...