Graphitic Electrical Contacts to Metallic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Pt Electrodes

Abstract

We investigate electronic devices consisting of individual, metallic, single-walled carbon nanotubes contacted by Pt electrodes in a field effect transistor configuration, focusing on improvements to the metal-nanotube contact resistance as the devices are annealed in inert environments including ultrahigh vacuum. At moderate temperatures (T < 880 K), thermal processing results in high resistance contacts with thermally activated barriers. Higher temperatures (T > 880 K) achieve nearly transparent contacts. In the latter case, analytical surface measurements reveal the catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons into graphene layers on the Pt surface, suggesting that improved electronic behavior is primarily due to the formation of an all-carbon nanotube-graphite interface rather than to the improvement of the nanotube-Pt one.

In Situ Electronic Characterization of Graphene Nanoconstrictions Fabricated in a Transmission Electron Microscope

“…Second, high-temperature annealing has been shown to reduce the contact resistance between metal electrodes and carbon nanomaterials. 34 Finally, we observe that high-temperature current annealing induces a structural reconfiguration and recrystallization of the FLG ribbon, as observed by others 30,31 and discussed in the Supporting Information. Current annealing thus significantly improves the structural and electronic properties of the CVD graphene.…”

Platinum and palladium on carbon nanotubes: Experimental and theoretical studies

“…Reports on both semiconducting and metallic CNT devices show the influence of the CNT surface chemistry on the contact resistance [7,8]. Electrical contacts to CNTs have been fabricated with different metals and disparities in the resistance have been associated to the presence of oxygen at the CNT surface [9,10]. Metals such as Ti, Cu and Rh were reported to remove the oxygen atoms adsorbed on the CNT surface forming an oxide barrier at the interface CNT-metal contact increasing the contact resistance.…”

“…The removal of the oxygen and formation of the oxide layer by the metal atoms were associated to the easy oxidation of the metal [13]. In this context, Pt and Pd were proposed for electrical contacting carbon nanotubes, with Pd being reported as the best metal giving low contact resistance in most of literature [9,14]. In bulk samples, Pd is known to form a stable oxide, PdO, whereas Pt does not [13].…”

Mechanical behavior of carbon nanotube and graphene junction as a building block for 3D carbon nanostructures

“…Thereafter, several experimental works have been pursued to fabricate and characterize the pillared GS. [37][38][39][41][42][43] Regardless of the great theoretical and experimental interests together with important technological potential, there is a notable lack of knowledge on mechanical behavior of carbon composite nanostructures as a result of technical difficulties. 57 The objective of this study is mechanical investigation of GS in CNT-GS junction during in-plane loading while it possesses desirable out-of-plane mechanical properties and examination of the CNT role in improvement of defected GS's mechanical properties.…”