NER: Fabrication of Electronic Devices with Nanotube Network Conducting Channels

这项研究的目的是探索新的有源电子器件结构，如场效应晶体管和此类器件的新的室温制造工艺。这些装置结合了一个随机的碳纳米管网络作为传导通道。由于与碳纳米管相关的高电子和空穴迁移率，该体系结构导致高器件迁移率、优异的机械性能以及健壮性和容错性。初步研究表明，这种器件的性能优于其他器件架构，如有机晶体管。制备过程的方法包括各种试剂对纳米管的增溶、纳米管的沉积和随后的试剂的去除。这种室温工艺允许将纳米管网络集成到各种表面，与标准硅制造兼容，也可以集成到塑料材料中。这些设备还将允许探索一系列物理问题，如一维和受限维度中电子态的性质，以及二维随机网络中的渗流。这项研究将在被称为柔性电子学的领域产生潜在的重大影响，可能在显示器、射频识别标签和可打印集成电路等领域应用。这项研究将由来自不同系的研究生进行，涉及设备设计、制造和审讯。将研究生置于一个跨学科的环境中，并参与一个具有重大应用潜力的项目，将产生该国迫切需要的知识库。

The objective of the research is to explore new active electronic device architectures, such as Field Effect Transistors and new, room temperature fabrication routes for such devices. The devices incorporate a random network of carbon nanotubes as the conducting channel. Due to the high electron and hole mobility associated with carbon nanotubes, the architecture leads to high device mobilities, excellent mechanical properties, together with robustness, and fault tolerance. Initial studies indicate that the devices have performance superior to alternative device architectures, such as organic transistors. The approach for the fabrication process includes the solubilization of nanotubes by various agents, nanotube deposition and subsequent removal of the agents. This room temperature process allows integration of nanotube networks to a variety of surfaces, is compatible with standard silicon fabrication and can also be integrated into plastic materials. The devices will also allow the exploration of a range of physics issues such as the nature of electron states in one and in restricted dimensions and percolation in a two dimensional random network. The research will have, potentially major impact in the area called flexible electronics with possible applications in areas including displays, radio frequency identification tags and printable Integrated Circuits. The research will be conducted by graduate students from different Departments, and it involves device design, fabrication and interrogation. Subjecting graduate students to an interdisciplinary environment, and to a project that has significant application potential will generate a knowledge base critically needed in the country.