Improvement in Performance of Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors on Patterned SiO2/Si Substrates

Horizontally aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were fabricated on patterned SiO₂/Si substrates with groove-and-terrace structures, which were obtained using electron-beam lithography and reactive ion etching. Scanning electron microscopy observation revealed that SWNTs were aligned in the direction parallel to the groove-and-terrace structures and were preferentially grown along the edges of terraces. Using aligned SWNTs as multichannels, carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) were fabricated on the patterned SiO₂/Si substrates. This method will be promising to control the direction of SWNTs on SiO₂/Si substrates for fabrication of high-performance CNTFETs with high current outputs.