Ultrasonic nanowelding of carbon nanotubes to metal electrodes

As imple ultrasonic nanowelding technique has been developed to reliably bond single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) onto metal electrodes, by pressing SWCNTs against electrodes under a vibrating force at ultrasonic frequency. The bonds formed have been demonstrated to be mechanically robust. Using this technique, a stable low-Ohmic contact between SWCNTs and metal electrodes was achieved, with resistances in the range of 8–24 k� for a 1 µ ml ong metallic SWCNT at room temperature. The performance of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (FETs) fabricated using this ultrasonic nanowelding method has also been greatly improved. Transconductance as high as 3.6 µ Sa mong the solid-state back-gate individual nanotube FETs has been achieved. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)