NEC Succeeds in Fabrication of CNT Transistor Using Coating Process

Main features of the new CNT transistors:

(1) Based on an NEC device model, design guidelines were established to verify the relationship between transistor characteristics and the length and density of the CNT when the CNT channel is created and to increase CNT transistor performance.

(2) A channel coating-process technology, capable of accurately controlling the density of the CNT, was also developed. CNT transistors were produced based on the new design guidelines and technology. Despite performance variation, extremely high mobility - the speed at which electrons move in the material - for a transistor manufactured using this type of coating process was achieved.

The demand for electronics has rapidly increased in recent years along with environmental concern. This has brought about the need for more advanced electronic products that simultaneously achieve reduced environmental impact.

Organic transistors and other printed electronics are one potential solution to this problem. Printed electronics' technologies are unique in that they allow transistors to be formed by printing directly onto the substrate. This means that manufacturing processes can be dramatically simplified in comparison to conventional semiconductors; waste materials generated through manufacturing processes can be reduced, and CO₂ emissions can be reduced by more than 90%.

The channel materials of conventional research organic transistors generally demonstrate little mobility and are therefore considered unsuitable for electronic devices with high-speed operation. The basic operations for a transistor formed using this coating process were confirmed for the newly developed CNT transistor, which adopts CNTs as its channel material to allow 100 times greater mobility than regular organic transistors. The research results prove the potential of CNTs as a core transistor material, even in the field of printed electronics. Further research is expected to show the potential to dramatically expand the scope of printed electronics applications.

NEC views the new CNT transistor technology as key to the development of electronic devices with minimal environmental impact, and will continue to proactively conduct research in this area to realize environmentally-sound products.

The results of this research will be presented at "Nanotech 2008 International Nanotechnology Exhibition & Conference" being held at Tokyo Big Sight from February 13 to 15.

Source: NEC

NEC Realizes Control of Position & Diameter of Carbon Nanotube
Technology that contributes to electronic devices utilizing carbon nanotubes

NEC Corporation today announced the development of a diameter/position-controlled carbon nanotube ("CNT") growth technique that is based on conventional electron beam ("EB") lithography. This technique will provide a practical method for controlling the position and diameter of each CNT. NEC expects this result will promote the research and development of high-performance CNT electronic devices.

Carbon Nanotubes heralded as ideal candidates for next generation Nanoelectronics
(PhysOrg.com) -- Widely regarded as the wonder material of the 21st century, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the intramolecular junctions that connect CNTs for integration have been hailed as the ideal candidates for the next generation of Nanoelectronics.
Carbon Nanotube Windmills Powered by 'Electron Wind'
Theoretical physicists from Lancaster University in the UK have designed a nanomotor that operates by a novel mechanism: an electron wind.
Carbon Nanotubes as a Single-Photon Source
Carbon nanotubes, as true multi-purpose materials, have potential applications in everything from electrical circuits and drug delivery to golf clubs and space elevators. Recently, physicists have investigated single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for one more use: as a single-photon source, where they could help make quantum communication networks extremely secure and efficient.
Sweet nanotech batteries: Nanotechnology could solve lithium battery charging problems
Nanotechnology could improve the life of the lithium batteries used in portable devices, including laptop computers, mp3 players, and mobile phones. Research to be published in the Inderscience publication - International Journal of Nanomanufacturing - demonstrates that carbon nanotubes can prevent such batteries from losing their charge capacity over time.
Scientists produce carbon nanotubes using commercially available polymeric resins
Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have successfully produced carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in high yields in bulk solid compositions using commercially available aromatic containing resins. The concentration of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and metal nanoparticles can be easily varied within the shaped carbonaceous solid.
Shear Ingenuity: Tweaking the Conductivity of Nanotube Composites
One of the immediate applications of carbon nanotubes (CNT) is as an additive to polymers to create electrically conducting plastics—a relatively low CNT concentration can dramatically change the polymer‘s electrical conductivity by orders of magnitude, from an insulator to a conductor.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's carbon nanotube manufacturing technology wins Nano 50 Award
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. announced that its method for manufacturing high-quality carbon nanotubes (CNT) has been named a winner in the third annual Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 awards in the Technology category. This award will be celebrated at the Nano 50 awards dinner November 14 at the NASA Tech Briefs National Nano Engineering Conference (NNEC 2007) in Boston, Mass.

NEC Succeeds in Fabrication of CNT Transistor Using Coating Process

Related stories:

News discussion: