Crosstalk between nanotube devices: contact and channel effects

TL;DR

This paper investigates how inter-nanotube Coulomb interactions influence the behavior of planar carbon nanotube transistors, highlighting the importance of device spacing and dielectric properties for high-density integration.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed calculations of inter-nanotube interactions in planar CNT transistors, revealing their impact on device performance and design considerations.

Findings

Inter-tube interactions affect channel and contact behavior.

A separation of about the gate oxide thickness is needed to minimize effects.

High-k dielectrics enable higher device densities.

Abstract

At reduced dimensionality, Coulomb interactions play a crucial role in determining device properties. While such interactions within the same carbon nanotube have been shown to have unexpected properties, device integration and multi-nanotube devices require the consideration of inter-nanotube interactions. We present calculations of the characteristics of planar carbon nanotube transistors including interactions between semiconducting nanotubes and between semiconducting and metallic nanotubes. The results indicate that inter-tube interactions affect both the channel behavior and the contacts. For long channel devices, a separation of the order of the gate oxide thickness is necessary to eliminate inter-nanotube effects. Because of an exponential dependence of this length scale on dielectric constant, very high device densities are possible by using high-k dielectrics and embedded contacts.