University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Alignment of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Mechanical Meniscus Action

Nazareth, Vineet

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Description

Title
Alignment of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Mechanical Meniscus Action
Author(s)
Nazareth, Vineet
Contributor(s)
Lyding, Joseph W.
Issue Date
2010-05
Keyword(s)
  • carbon nanotubes
  • single-walled carbon nanotubes
  • meniscus action
Abstract
Single-walled carbon nanotubes are novel carbon nanostructures with unique properties that have made them highly attractive materials for research in nanotechnology. Due to their exceptional electrical, mechanical, optical and structural properties, SWNTs have found applications in the fields of nanoelectronics, optoelectronics and other areas of nanoscience. However, in order to use SWNTs to produce high performance nanoelectronic devices on a large scale, we have to address the issue of obtaining precisely placed, high density, aligned SWNT arrays. This thesis demonstrates a technique to control the precise placement and alignment of surfactant-coated, semiconducting SWNTs using mechanical meniscus action. Using an aqueous solution containing the SWNTs dispersed in it, a meniscus is formed either between two substrates of differing hydrophobocity of between a substrate and a glass capillary tube. As the meniscus is mechanically dragged across the substrate, the SWNTs get pinned to the surface and are aligned by the mechanical torque. The alignment has been characterized on various hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates like Si(100), Si(111), H-Si(100), H-Si(111), Si(100) with ~300 nm of SiO2, Al2O3, Si3N4, and positive-tone photoresist (PR). The effect of length of the SWNTs, meniscus velocity and meniscus pass number on the alignment of the SWNTs has been demonstrated. The technique developed also gives us control over the density of SWNTs deposited on the substrate, with the density a function of the meniscus pass number. Thus we can scale aligned SWNT depositions to high densities to drive substantial transistor currents, a necessary step for fabricating high performance SWNT-based nanoelectronic devices.
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/47002

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