Fundamental performance limits of carbon nanotube thin-film transistors achieved using hybrid molecular dielectrics

ACS Nano. 2012 Aug 28;6(8):7480-8. doi: 10.1021/nn302768h. Epub 2012 Jul 18.

Abstract

In the past decade, semiconducting carbon nanotube thin films have been recognized as contending materials for wide-ranging applications in electronics, energy, and sensing. In particular, improvements in large-area flexible electronics have been achieved through independent advances in postgrowth processing to resolve metallic versus semiconducting carbon nanotube heterogeneity, in improved gate dielectrics, and in self-assembly processes. Moreover, controlled tuning of specific device components has afforded fundamental probes of the trade-offs between materials properties and device performance metrics. Nevertheless, carbon nanotube transistor performance suitable for real-world applications awaits understanding-based progress in the integration of independently pioneered device components. We achieve this here by integrating high-purity semiconducting carbon nanotube films with a custom-designed hybrid inorganic-organic gate dielectric. This synergistic combination of materials circumvents conventional design trade-offs, resulting in concurrent advances in several transistor performance metrics such as transconductance (6.5 μS/μm), intrinsic field-effect mobility (147 cm(2)/(V s)), subthreshold swing (150 mV/decade), and on/off ratio (5 × 10(5)), while also achieving hysteresis-free operation in ambient conditions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Electric Impedance
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Materials Testing
  • Membranes, Artificial*
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / chemistry*
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / ultrastructure*
  • Particle Size
  • Transistors, Electronic*

Substances

  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Nanotubes, Carbon