Controlled fabrication of single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes by electron-beam-induced oxidation

TL;DR

This study demonstrates a method to precisely fabricate metallic single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes with nanoscale gaps using electron-beam-induced oxidation, enabling controlled and parallel cutting of nanotubes.

Contribution

It introduces a controlled fabrication technique for SWCNT electrodes with precise gap sizes and parallel processing capabilities using electron-beam-induced oxidation.

Findings

Continuous conductance measurement during fabrication

Statistical analysis of gap sizes and electron doses

Parallel cutting of multiple nanotubes achieved

Abstract

The fabrication of metallic single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes separated by gaps of typically 20nm width by electron-beam-induced oxidation is studied within an active device configuration. The tube conductance is measured continuously during the process. The experiment provides a statistical evaluation of gap sizes as well as the electron dose needed for gap formation. Also, the ability to precisely cut many carbon nanotubes in parallel is demonstrated.