Scaling analysis of Schottky barriers at metal-embedded semiconducting carbon nanotube interfaces

TL;DR

This study uses atomistic tight-binding models to analyze how metal-embedded semiconducting carbon nanotube interfaces behave electronically and transport-wise, revealing a transition from tunneling to thermally-activated conduction as the nanotube length increases.

Contribution

It provides a detailed atomistic analysis of the length-dependent transport properties and band alignment at metal-nanotube interfaces, highlighting the influence of metal work function.

Findings

Band structure lineup depends strongly on metal work function.

Transport transitions from tunneling to thermally-activated with increasing length.

Interface details have weak influence on band alignment.

Abstract

We present an atomistic self-consistent tight-binding study of the electronic and transport properties of metal-semiconducting carbon nanotube interfaces as a function of the nanotube channel length when the end of the nanotube wire is buried inside the electrodes. We show that the lineup of the nanotube band structure relative to the metal Fermi-level depends strongly on the metal work function but weakly on the details of the interface. We analyze the length-dependent transport characteristics, which predicts a transition from tunneling to thermally-activated transport with increasing nanotube channel length.