Chapter 4 - Electronic Devices

Abstract

There have now been many demonstrations of nanoscale electronic 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 the state-of-the-art silicon transistors, promising higher device densities. Second, carbon nanotubes have low defect density, and an electronic transport is expected to be less affected by defect scattering. Third, the carrier distribution is not as sensitive to temperature variations due to the van Hove singularities at the band edges. Finally, quantum confinement should be easier to achieve because of the small channel width, and thus single-electron devices should be more readily available. Balancing these advantages is the fact that the knowledge base, fundamental understanding, fabrication infrastructure, and device design are much less developed for carbon nanotubes compared to silicon.