Tailored ION/IOFF ratio of nanotube network transistors by pulsed breakdown

In this study, we used pulsed electrical breakdowns to investigate the effects of film density, high-temperature, and vacuum (10^-5 Torr) ambient on electrical burnout of such CNT film devices. We show that under pulsed electrical stress, ultra-dense films fail without improvement in the ON/OFF ratio. The ratio of low density devices is enhanced to levels comparable with geometrically striped CNT thin films without the need for additional process steps. Furthermore, our findings suggest water-assisted oxidation is the dominant breakdown mechanism when electrically sorting CNTs under ambient conditions.