Electrical contacts

Abstract: We have achieved mobilities in excess of 200,000 cm2 V −1 s−1 at electron densities of ∼2 ×1011 cm−2 by suspending single layer graphene. Suspension ∼150 nm above a Si/SiO2 gate electrode and electrical contacts to the graphene was achieved by a combination of electron beam lithography and etching. The specimens were cleaned in situ by employing current-induced heating, directly resulting in a significant improvement of electrical transport. Concomitant with large mobility enhancement, the widths of the characteristic Dirac peaks are reduced by a factor of 10 compared to traditional, nonsuspended devices. This advance should allow for accessing the intrinsic transport properties of graphene.

Abstract: The use of individual molecules as functional electronic devices was first proposed in the 1970s (ref 1) Since then, molecular electronics2,3 has attracted much interest, particularly because it could lead to conceptually new miniaturization strategies in the electronics and computer industry The realization of single-molecule devices has remained challenging, largely owing to difficulties in achieving electrical contact to individual molecules Recent advances in nanotechnology, however, have resulted in electrical measurements on single molecules4,5,6,7 Here we report the fabrication of a field-effect transistor—a three-terminal switching device—that consists of one semiconducting8,9,10 single-wall carbon nanotube11,12 connected to two metal electrodes By applying a voltage to a gate electrode, the nanotube can be switched from a conducting to an insulating state We have previously reported5 similar behaviour for a metallic single-wall carbon nanotube operated at extremely low temperatures The present device, in contrast, operates at room temperature, thereby meeting an important requirement for potential practical applications Electrical measurements on the nanotube transistor indicate that its operation characteristics can be qualitatively described by the semiclassical band-bending models currently used for traditional semiconductor devices The fabrication of the three-terminal switching device at the level of a single molecule represents an important step towards molecular electronics

Abstract: The interpretation of certain phenomena occuring at nominally flat surfaces in stationary or sliding contact is dependent on the assumed distribution of the real area of contact between the surfaces. Since there is little direct evidence on which to base an estimate of this distribution, the approach used is to set up a simple model and compare the deduced theory (e.g., the deduced dependence of the experimental observables on the load) with the experimental evidence. The main conclusions are as follows. (a) The electrical contact resistance depends on the model used to represent the surfaces; the most realistic model is one in which increasing the load increases both the number and size of the contact areas. (b) In general, mechanical wear should also depend on the model. However, in wear experiments showing the simplest behavior, the wear rate is proportional to the load, and these results can be explained by assuming removal of lumps at contact areas formed by plastic deformation; moreover, this particular deduction is independent of the assumed model. This suggests that a basic assumption of previous theories, that increasing the load increases the number of contacts without affecting their average size, is redundant.

Abstract: Heterostructures based on layering of two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride represent a new class of electronic devices. Realizing this potential, however, depends critically on the ability to make high-quality electrical contact. Here, we report a contact geometry in which we metalize only the 1D edge of a 2D graphene layer. In addition to outperforming conventional surface contacts, the edge-contact geometry allows a complete separation of the layer assembly and contact metallization processes. In graphene heterostructures, this enables high electronic performance, including low-temperature ballistic transport over distances longer than 15 micrometers, and room-temperature mobility comparable to the theoretical phonon-scattering limit. The edge-contact geometry provides new design possibilities for multilayered structures of complimentary 2D materials.

Abstract: Using low-resistance electrical contacts, we have measured the intrinsic high-field transport properties of metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes. Individual nanotubes appear to be able to carry currents with a density exceeding 10(9) A/cm(2). As the bias voltage is increased, the conductance drops dramatically due to scattering of electrons. We show that the current-voltage characteristics can be explained by considering optical or zone-boundary phonon emission as the dominant scattering mechanism at high field.