Self-assembled electrical circuits and their electronic properties

Abstract

A straightforward method for the self assembly of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) between gold electrodes was developed. The technique utilizes the hybridization between short complementary DNA sequences located on metal contacts and SWNTs. The new technique enables simple production of hundreds of devices with high yields. The electrical characteristics are shown to depend strongly on the existence of the chemical binding groups at the contacts as well as along the tubes. This technique was used to drive the self assembly of SWNT-based field effect transistors (CNTFETs). In principle, the devices made by this method behave like those made using direct metal–carbon nanotube contacts. The inverse subthreshold slope of the CNTFETs depends on the source–drain voltage applied to the device, confirming that the conductance of CNTFETs is determined by the Schottky barriers at the interfaces between the CNTs and the gold electrodes.