Deformation potential carrier-phonon scattering in semiconducting carbon nanotube transistors

Theoretical calculations of carrier transport in semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are compared with recent experiments. Considering carrier-phonon scattering, a deformation potential coupling constant of 14 eV is determined. Theory predicts the low-field mobility, conductance, and on resistance of field-effect transistors as a function of nanotube diameter and temperature. When the device is in the on state, the mean free path (Lm-on) varies linearly with tube diameter and inversely with temperature. Intersubband scattering is found to strongly decrease Lm-on when a few subbands are occupied. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.