Improving the contact resistance at low force using gold coated carbon nanotube surfaces

Abstract

Investigations to determine the electrical contact performance under repeated load cycles at low force conditions for carbonnanotube (CNT) coated surfaces were performed. The surfaces under investigation consisted of multi-walled CNT synthesized on a silicon substrate and coated with a gold film. These planar surfaces were mounted on the tip of a PZT cantilever and contacted with a hemispherical Au plated probe. The dynamic applied force used was 1mN. The contact resistance (Rc) of these surfaces was investigated with the applied force and with repeated loading cycles performed for stability testing. The surfaces were compared with a reference Au-Au contact under the same experimental conditions. This initial study shows the potential for the application of gold coated CNT surfaces as an interface in low force electrical contact applications