Single-walled carbon nanotube growth on silicon substrates using nanoparticle catalysts

We investigated the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNT) directly on silicon substrates by nanoparticle-catalyst-assisted chemical vapor deposition, Single-walled CNTs were almost selectively obtained when methane was used in combination with Fe2O3 nanoparticles at the growth temperature of around 950degreesC. In the growth of single-walled CNTs, this temperature is essential in order to avoid silicidation of the catalyst. The growth direction was parallel to the substrate surface, which is useful for device applications. For Fe-metal nanoparticles, grown nanotubes always contained thick multiwalled CNTs. The selective single-walled CNT growth for Fe2O3 nanoparticles is attributed to the fact that the particles remain small even after the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process.