Growth of nanotubes for electronics

Abstract

The roadmap for semiconductor devices envisages that carbon nanotubes or semiconducting nanowires could become important in about ten years. This article reviews where carbon nanotubes could contribute to microelectronics, in terms of vias, interconnects, and field-effect transistors. It focuses particularly on the requirements microelectronics places on the growth of nanotubes. That is, control over the formation of semiconducting or metallic tubes, controlling the growth location and direction, and achieving high enough nucleation densities.