High-frequency performance of scaled carbon nanotube array field-effect transistors

We report the radio-frequency performance of carbon nanotube array transistors that have been realized through the aligned assembly of highly separated, semiconducting carbon nanotubes on a fully scalable device platform. At a gate length of 100 nm, we observe output current saturation and obtain as-measured, extrinsic current gain and power gain cut-off frequencies, respectively, of 7 GHz and 15 GHz. While the extrinsic current gain is comparable to the state-of-the-art the extrinsic power gain is improved. The de-embedded, intrinsic current gain and power gain cut-off frequencies of 153 GHz and 30 GHz are the highest values experimentally achieved to date. We analyze the consistency of DC and AC performance parameters and discuss the requirements for future applications of carbon nanotube array transistors in high-frequency electronics.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures + Supplementary Informatio

Diameter Refinement of Semiconducting Arc Discharge Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes via Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation

Arc discharge single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) possess superlative optical and electronic properties that are of high interest for technologically important applications including fiber optic communications, biomedical imaging, and field-effect transistors. However, as-grown arc discharge SWCNTs possess a mixture of metallic and semiconducting species in addition to a wide diameter distribution (1.2 to 1.7 nm) that limit their performance in devices. While previous postsynthetic sorting efforts have achieved separation by electronic type and diameter refinement for metallic arc discharge SWCNTs, tight diameter distributions of semiconducting arc discharge SWCNTs have not yet been realized. Herein, we present two advances in density gradient ultracentrifugation that enable the isolation of high purity (>99%) semiconducting arc discharge SWCNTs with narrow diameter distributions centered at ∼1.6 and ∼1.4 nm. The resulting diameter-refined populations of semiconducting arc discharge SWCNTs possess monodisperse characteristics that are well-suited for high-performance optical and electronic technologies