Growth of C60AT´s nanowhiskers for quiet millimetre-wave detectors

At millimetre-wave frequencies, RF signal detectors based on Schottky junctions suffer from poor impedance matching over very wide video bandwidths, insensitivity to very low power signals and high levels of thermal and shot noise. C₆₀ nanowhiskers offer the possibility of realising robust, sensitive millimetre-wave sensors with significantly reduced shunt capacitance and improved noise performance. Early results to achieve control over the growth direction of C₆₀ nanowhiskers using electric fields reveal a tendency towards alignment parallel to DC field lines. The technique needs to be developed further to augment alignment in addition to exercising control over growth dimensions.