Selective growth of carbon nanotubes for nanoscale transistors

The selective growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their application as field-effect transistors (FETs) are demonstrated. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes were selectively grown in nanoholes formed in an anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template. Each device element is formed on a vertical carbon nanotube attached to bottom (source) and upper (drain) electrodes and a gate electrode, which can be integrated in large arrays with the potential for tera-level density (10¹² cm^-2. Simulation of the potential distribution shows that the direction of potential formation would depend on the polarity of the gate bias, which is consistent with an experimental result of CNT-FET operation.