Multiwalled carbon nanotubes as building blocks in nanoelectronics

Molecular level components, like carbon multiwalled nanotubes (MWNT), show great potential for future nanoelectronics. At low frequencies, only the ou termost carbon layer determines the transport properties of the MWNT. Due t o the multiwalled structure and large capacitive interlayer coupling, also the inner layers contribute to the conduction at high frequencies. Conseque ntly, the conduction properties of MWNTs are not very far from those of reg ular conductors with well-defined electrical characteristics. In our work w e have experimentally utilized this fact in constructing various nanoelectr onic components out of MWNTs, such as single electron transistors (SET), lu mped resistors, and transmission lines. We present results on several nanot ube samples, grown both using chemical vapor deposition as well as arc-disc harge vaporization. Our results show that SET-electrometers with a noise le vel as low as 6 . 10(-6) e/root Hz (at 45 Hz) can be built using arc-discha rge-grown carbon nanotubes, Moreover, short nanotubes with small contact ar eas are found to work at 4.2 K with good gate modulation. Reactive ion etch ing on CVD tubes is employed to produce nearly Ohmic components with a resi stance of 200 k Ohm over a 2 mum section. At high frequencies, MWNTs work o ver micron distances as special LC-transmission lines with high impedance, on the order of 5 k Ohm.