Chirality engineering of single-walled carbon nanotubes by in situ TEM probing

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K05281
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 28030:Nanomaterials-related
• Research Institution: National Institute for Materials Science
• Principal Investigator: TANG Daiming 国立研究開発法人物質・材料研究機構, 国際ナノアーキテクトニクス研究拠点, 主任研究員 (50646271)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: carbon nanotube / transistor / chirality / electron microscopy / quantum transport

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have superior electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties and are promising for the next generation energy-efficient transistors. However, depending on the chirality, 1/3 of the nanotubes are metallic. In this project, a method is developed to transform the chirality and change the metallic nanotubes into semiconductors. By using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) probing technique and applying mechanical tension and high temperature, the local chirality of individual nanotubes was successfully transformed. Metal-to-semiconductor transition was realized by using closed-loop (feedback) control. Nanotransistors with the channel length as short as 2.8 nanometers were fabricated using the chirality-transformed nanotubes as channels and quantum transport was demonstrated at room temperature.

Free Research Field

ナノテクノロジー

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

カーボンナノチューブのカイラリティ（らせん構造）を制御することは、エレクトロニクスへの応用において極めて重要である。本プロジェクトでは、個々のカーボンナノチューブの局所的なカイラリティを変換する手法を開発した。このカイラリティ変換により、金属性カーボンナノチューブは、ナノトランジスタを作製するための半導体へと変化した。この成果は、5ナノメートル以下のナノチューブトランジスタを開発することに貢献する。