Development of a CMOS-Compatible Carbon Nanotube Array Transfer Method

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have, over the years, been used in research as a promising material in electronics as a thermal interface material and as interconnects amongst other applications. However, there exist several issues preventing the widespread integration of CNTs onto device applications, e.g., high growth temperature and interfacial resistance. To overcome these issues, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible CNT array transfer method that electrically connects the CNT arrays to target device substrates was developed. The method separates the CNT growth and preparation steps from the target substrate. Utilizing an alignment tool with the capabilities of thermocompression enables a highly accurate transfer of CNT arrays onto designated areas with desired patterns. With this transfer process as a starting point, improvement pointers are also discussed in this paper to further improve the quality of the transferred CNTs.

Automated summary

A CMOS-compatible CNT array transfer method has been developed to address issues preventing the widespread integration of CNTs onto device applications. Using an alignment tool with thermocompression capabilities enables highly accurate transfer of CNT arrays, with pointers for further improvement in transferred CNT quality discussed.