Electromechanical behavior of suspended taut single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

In this work we present an experimental study of the electromechanical behavior of suspended, taut, single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). A novel top-down fabrication process was developed in order to integrate the suspended SWCNTs into silicon MEMS structures fabricated using conventional micro-machining techniques. The resonant response of suspended SWCNTs under a time-varying electric field was analyzed and resonant frequencies in MHz range were registered. In addition, the electromechanical characterization of metallic-like, small band-gap-like and semiconductor-like SWCNTs under steady electric fields of varying strength was carried out and high sensitivity of SWCNTs to the gate voltage was observed. The experimental results demonstrate feasibility of the adopted fabrication framework and provide an additional insight into the complex behavior of taut, suspended SWCNT.