Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor Devices for IC Performance Evaluation

A novel approach to the problem of identifying failed integrated circuits on electronic circuit boards has been sought that would allow for drastically reducing the costs of the test equipment development and maintenance. This article describes our ongoing efforts toward developing the original concept of Molecular Test Equipment®. Our focus is on our progress in creating carbon nanotube-based sensors carrying out the integrated circuit performance monitoring functions in an integrated circuit substrate level, as well as on the problem of interfacing the molecular devices with the existing metallic circuitry of the integrated circuits. The two main areas of interest explored recently by our team in order to create the basis for such sensor fabrication were: (i) producing solutions of homogenously dispersed carbon nanotubes in organic solvents, and (ii) developing a method for controlling the process of nanotube deposition at specific location on the silicon substrate.