Large-Scale Direct Patterning of Aligned Single-Walled\nCarbon Nanotube Arrays Using Dip-Pen Nanolithography

Abstract

The strength of dip-pen nanolithography\n(DPN) is the ability to\ncreate nano- or microarrays of organic compounds and nanomaterials\nin a nondestructive and direct-write manner. However, transporting\nlarge-sized ink materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), has been\na significant challenge. We report a direct-write patterning of aligned\nsingle-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) arrays on silicon oxide using\nDPN. The patterned SWNT arrays show a high degree of alignment and\ncontrollable width ranging from 2 μm down to 8 nm. Furthermore,\nfield-effect transistors based on these SWNT arrays show p-type characteristic.\nHigh-throughput patterning of the aligned SWNTs over a large area\nwas also achieved via polymer pen lithography (PPL). The reported\ntechnique will further expand the application of SWNTs to diverse\nnanoelectronic devices.