CNT Applications in Microelectronics, “Nanoelectronics,” and “Nanobioelectronics”

Abstract

CNTs, and thereunder, mainly SWCNTs, have been promoted as the ultimate electronic material (whether in electronics, microelectronics, “nanoelectronics,” or “nanobioelectronics”), possibly replacing even tried-and-true silicon in the near future [18]. Indeed, CNT transistors were expected to outperform Si transistors by about 2015 [18]. This was in view of the fact that CNTs hold an inherent size advantage over Si, where transistor elements are carved from bulk Si; this “top-down approach” appears to be limiting, especially in contrast to CNTs, which can be fabricated in dimensions that are a fraction of today’s smallest Si feature [18]. Additionally, the combination of high intrinsic mobility (approx. 104cm2V/s), small capacitance (approx. 100 aF/μm), and nm-thick body channels makes SWCNTs supposedly promising for high-speed devices, with some potential for operation in the terahertz regime [353].