Controlled fabrication of single electron transistors from single-walled carbon nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a controlled method for fabricating single electron transistors using single-walled carbon nanotubes, achieving Coulomb oscillations up to 125 K and precise control of dot size via a mechanical template approach.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanical template technique for fabricating SWNT-based SETs with controlled dot size and operation, enabling potential large-scale production.

Findings

Coulomb oscillations observed up to 125 K

Charging energies of 12-15 meV measured

Dot size approximately 100 nm

Abstract

Single electron transistors (SETs) are fabricated by placing single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on a 100 nm wide local Al/Al2O3 bottom gate and then contacting with Pd electrodes. Coulomb oscillations up to 125 K were observed and charging energies of 12-15 meV with level spacing of ~5 meV were measured from the Couloumb diamond, in agreement with a dot size of ~100 nm, implying that the local gate defines the dot size by bending SWNT at the edges and controls its operation. This "mechanical template" approach may facilitate large scale fabrication of SET devices using SWNT.