High-rate growth of films of dense, aligned double-walled carbon nanotubes using microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Carbon nanotube (CNT) films were grown using microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Catalytic cobalt (Co) nanoparticles were deposited on a silicon substrate using pulsed arc deposition. A titanium nitride (TiN) thin film was used as a buffer layer on the substrate in order to prevent the formation of Co silicide. A dense, vertically aligned, double-walled CNT (DWNT) film was grown rapidly on the Co-catalyzed Si substrate. The CNTs grew at an extremely high rate of 600 nm/s during the first 10 min of growth. Dense DWNT films with thicknesses of over 500 mu m were obtained in 20 min.