A deterministic process for fabrication and assembly of single carbon nanotube based devices

Due to the unique electrical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT), CNT is often chosen as a building block for nanosystems or nanodevice. The most challenging part in fabricating nanosystems could be the formation of CNT connections. Existing techniques in forming CNT connections, such as dielectrophoresis, direct growth, E-beam lithography and self assembly are suffered from problems in forming a single CNT connection or not being able to precisely deposit CNTs on specific locations. Thus, it is highly desired to have an efficient way to manipulate single CNT in a controllable manner. In this paper, by using an atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanomanipulation system, a reliable method is developed to fabricate electrodes with gaps in nano scale and to make connections between CNTs and electrodes. It is a valuable way for furthering the study of CNT properties and the development of CNT-based nanosystems.