Combination of atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence microscopy for the investigation of individual carbon nanotubes on sapphire surfaces

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were applied to characterize single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) deposited on sapphire. The electronic properties and structure of luminescent semiconducting SWNTs can be probed by PL spectroscopy. The diameter, length, spatial position, and angular orientation of deposited SWNTs can be accurately determined by intermittent contact AFM. We describe an approach to combine and compare the spectroscopic (PL) and topographical (AFM) information for the same individual nanotubes as well as nanotube aggregates.