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Published October 2014 | public
Journal Article

Effects of Parylene Coating on Electron Transport in Pristine Suspended Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect-Transistors

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT) field effect transistors (FETs) are anticipated to provide a viable alternative to silicon as CMOS technology begins to reach ultimate scaling lengths. With high carrier mobilities, current density, and tunable bandgaps, CNTs can allow for the growth of the transistor industry beyond traditional materials. However, these nanotubes are sensitive to their surroundings and require a protective passivation layer to isolate them from contamination by their external environment. Thin parylene films have been shown to be a practical passivation layer for CNT devices as a flexible, chemically inert, high dielectric strength, pinhole-free material. In this paper, we perform electrical characterization of single suspended CNT FETs before and after passivation with parylene-C thin-film deposition. Analysis shows moderate changes in the threshold voltage, subthreshold slope, and ON/OFF ratio with parylene passivation, indicating minimal effect on the CNT FET overall performance.

Additional Information

© 2014 IEEE. Manuscript received April 28, 2014; revised June 23, 2014; accepted July 28, 2014. Date of current version September 18, 2014. This work was supported in part by the Independent Research and Development Program, Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA, USA, in part by the University of California at Santa Barbara, Nanofabrication Facility, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, and in part by the National Science Foundation through the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network. The review of this paper was arranged by Editor R. K. Lake. The authors would like to thank J. Childs for assistance with the parylene deposition process.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 18, 2023