High-yield selective placement of carbon nanotubes on pre-patterned electrodes

Practical utilization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in nanoscale devices requires their directed placement on a substrate. Controlled placement has been achieved by a combination of the highly selective adsorption of single walled CNTs (SWNTs) onto open regions of amino-functionalized SiO2 in a polymeric resist, followed by liftoff. Careful selection of the surfactant used to suspend the SWNTs as well as other processing parameters allow controlled placement in high yield. This technique may provide a path for the large-scale fabrication of CNT-based devices and circuits.