Radiation hardness of the electrical properties of carbon nanotube network field effecttransistors under high-energy proton irradiation

Abstract

The effect of high-energy proton irradiation on the physical properties of carbon nanotubes(CNTs) was investigated. The focus of the study was on the electrical properties ofsingle-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) network devices exposed to proton beams.Field-effect transistors (FETs) of network type were fabricated using SWNTs andwere then irradiated by high-energy proton beams of 10–35 MeV with a fluence of4 × 1010–4 × 1012 cm−2 that are comparable to the aerospace radiation environment. The electrical properties ofboth metallic and semiconducting CNT network FET devices underwent no significantchange after the high-energy proton irradiation, indicating that the CNT network devicesare very tolerant in proton beams. Raman spectra confirm the proton-radiation hardness ofCNT network FET devices. The radiation hardness of CNT network FET devices promisestherefore the potential usefulness of CNT-based electronics for future space application.