Selective nanotube formation and related devices
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsZhenan Bao, Melburne Lemieux, Justin P. Opatkiewicz, Soumendra N. Barman
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Abstract
Nanotube electronic devices exhibit selective affinity to disparate nanotube types. According to an example embodiment, a semiconductor device exhibits a treated substrate that selectively interacts (e.g., chemically) with nanotubes of a first type, relative to nanotubes of a second type, the respective types including semiconducting-type and metallic-type nanotubes. The selective interaction is used to set device configuration characteristics based upon the nanotube type. This selective-interaction approach can be used to set the type, and/or characteristics of nanotubes in the device.
Claims21
A method for manufacturing nanotubes, the method comprising:
- treating a substrate surface to respectively interact with semiconducting-type nanotubes and metallic-type nanotubes at different substrate-nanotube interaction strengths;
- applying, to the treated surface, a nanotube solution including semiconducting-type nanotubes and metallic-type nanotubes dispersed in a solvent;
- and
- for at least a portion of the substrate surface, mechanically removing a substantial portion of one of the types of nanotubes for which the substrate-nanotube interaction strength is lower, relative to the substrate-nanotube interaction strength for another one of the types of nanotubes.
A method for manufacturing involving spin-coating a nanotube film onto a substrate, the method comprising:
- treating an upper surface of the substrate to respectively interact with semiconducting-type nanotubes and with metallic-type nanotubes at different substrate-nanotube interaction strengths;
- spinning the substrate to apply a shearing force that is sufficient to overcome the substrate-nanotube interaction of a first one of the types of nanotubes, and that is insufficient to overcome the substrate-nanotube interaction of the other one of the types of nanotubes;
- and
- while the substrate is spinning,
- applying, to the treated surface, a nanotube solution including semiconducting-type nanotubes and metallic-type nanotubes, and
- using the shearing force to remove a substantial portion of the first type of nanotubes.
A method for manufacturing comprising:
- providing a treated substrate surface;
- using the treated substrate surface that respectively interacts with semiconducting-type nanotubes and with metallic-type nanotubes at different substrate-nanotube interaction strengths to separate the semiconducting-type nanotubes from the metallic-type nanotubes dispersed in a solvent;
- and
- providing the semiconducting-type nanotubes separated from the metallic-type nanotubes.
A method for manufacturing comprising:
- treating a substrate surface to respectively interact with different nanotube types at different substrate-nanotube interaction strengths;
- applying, to the treated surface, a nanotube solution including different types of nanotubes dispersed in a solvent;
- and
- for at least a portion of the substrate surface, mechanically removing a substantial portion of one of the types of applied nanotubes for which the substrate-nanotube interaction strength is lower, relative to the substrate-nanotube interaction strength for another one of the types of applied nanotubes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.