Photocurrent Imaging of p-n Junctions and Local Defects in Ambipolar Carbon Nanotube Transistors

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of scanning photocurrent microscopy to image and analyze internal p-n junctions and local defects in ambipolar carbon nanotube transistors, revealing their gate-dependent behavior and electric potential profiles.

Contribution

The study introduces a nanometer-scale resolution method using SPCM to image internal p-n junctions and defects in CNT transistors, advancing understanding of their electrical properties.

Findings

SPCM images reveal gate-dependent p-n junctions near contacts.

Electric potential profiles show local defects and electric field effects.

SPCM is effective for imaging CNT device properties.

Abstract

We use scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) to investigate the properties of internal p-n junctions as well as local defects in ambipolar carbon nanotube (CNT) transistors. Our SPCM images show strong signals near metal contacts whose polarity and positions change depending on the gate bias. SPCM images analyzed in conjunction with the overall conductance also indicate the existence and gate-dependent evolution of internal p-n junctions near contacts in the n-type operation regime. To determine the p-n junction position and the depletion width with a nanometer scale resolution, a Gaussian fit was used. We also measure the electric potential profile of CNT devices at different gate biases, which shows that both local defects and induced electric fields can be imaged using the SPCM technique. Our experiment clearly demonstrates that SPCM is a valuable tool for imaging and optimizing electrical and optoelectronic properties of CNT based devices.