Biaxially stretchable carbon nanotube transistors

Abstract

Biaxially stretchable field effect transistors (FETs) fabricated on elastomeric substrates are demonstrated incorporating a buckled network of polymer-wrapped semiconducting carbon nanotubes in the channel and a buckled layer of an ion gel as the gate dielectric. The FETs maintain an on/off ratio of >104 and a field-effect mobility of >5 cm2 V−1 s−1 for biaxial elongation up to 67% or uniaxial elongation either parallel or perpendicular to the channel. The performance is stable for at least 10 000 stretch-release cycles. Failure analysis shows that the extent of elongation is limited only by the magnitude of the pre-strain used during fabrication. This work is important because deformable FETs are needed for future technologies including stretchable electronics and displays.