Carbon Nanotube Single-Electron Transistors at Room Temperature

TLDR

The devices are fabricated by creating a ~20‑nm nanotube section with local barriers induced by an atomic force microscope. Room‑temperature single‑electron transistors were realized in individual metallic single‑wall carbon nanotube molecules, exhibiting Coulomb charging with a 120 meV addition energy, quantum energy levels at low temperatures, and unconventional power‑law transport consistent with a resonant‑tunneling Luttinger‑liquid mechanism.

Abstract

Room-temperature single-electron transistors are realized within individual metallic single-wall carbon nanotube molecules. The devices feature a short (down to approximately 20 nanometers) nanotube section that is created by inducing local barriers into the tube with an atomic force microscope. Coulomb charging is observed at room temperature, with an addition energy of 120 millielectron volts, which substantially exceeds the thermal energy. At low temperatures, we resolve the quantum energy levels corresponding to the small island. We observe unconventional power-law dependencies in the measured transport properties for which we suggest a resonant tunneling Luttinger-liquid mechanism.