Temperature-dependent studies of Y-junction carbon nanotube electronic transport

Electronic transport in Y-junction carbon nanotubes was examined as a function of temperature. Rectifying behavior was observed from 10 to 300 K with the conductance displaying power-law dependencies on temperature and applied bias. The data are consistent with models for tunneling between two tube segments but display asymmetric exponents depending on bias polarity. The conductance asymmetry is found to be essentially independent of temperature and can be understood from the lack of inversion symmetry of the Y-junction geometry, which creates a unique type of mesoscopic rectification for current flow in the nonlinear response regime. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.