Smooth thin film C/diamond membranes with controllable optical band gaps

Mixed phase carbon-diamond films which consist of small grain diamond in an a:C matrix were deposited on polished Si using a radio frequency CH4 Ar plasma CVD deposition process. Ellipsometry, surface profilometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and spectrophotometry were used to analyse these films. Film thicknesses were typically 50-100 nm with a surface roughness of ± 30 A ̊ over centimetre length scans. SEM analysis showed the films were smooth and pinhole free. The Si substrate was etched using backside masking and a directional etch to give taut carbon-diamond membranes on a Si grid. Spectrophotometry was used to analyse the optical properties of these membranes. Band gap control was achieved by varying the dc bias of the deposition process. Band gaps of 1.2 eV to 4.0 eV were achieved in these membranes. A technique for controlling the compressive stress in the films, which can range from 0.02 to 7.5 GPa has been employed. This has allowed the fabrication of thin, low stress, high band gap membranes that are extremely tough and chemically inert. Such carbon-diamond membranes seem promising for applications as windows in analytical instruments. © 1992.

Direct growth of horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes between electrodes and its application to field-effect transistors

This paper presents direct growth of horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) between two predefined various inter-spacing up to tens of microns of electrodes (pads) and its use as CNT field-effect transistors (CNT-FETs). The catalytic metals were prepared, consisting of iron (Fe), aluminum (Al) and platinum (Pt) triple layers, on the thermal silicon oxide substrate (Pt/Al/Fe/SiO2). Scanning electron microscopy measurements of CNT-FETs from the as-grown samples showed that over 80% of the nanotubes are grown across the catalytic electrodes. Moreover, the number of CNTs across the catalytic electrodes is roughly controllable by adjusting the growth condition. The Al, as the upper layer on Fe electrode, not only plays a role as a barrier to prevent vertical growth but also serves as a porous medium that helps in forming smaller nano-sized Fe particles which would be necessary for lateral growth of CNTs. Back-gate field effect transistors were demonstrated with the laterally aligned CNTs. The on/off ratios in all the measured devices are lower than 100 due to the drain leakage current. ©2010 IEEE.

Transparent liquid-crystal-based microlens array using vertically aligned carbon nanofiber electrodes on quartz substrates.

A novel transparent liquid-crystal-based microlens array has been fabricated using an array of vertically aligned multi-wall carbon nanofibers (MWCNFs) on a quartz substrate and its optical characteristics investigated. Electron beam lithography was used for the catalyst patterning on a quartz substrate to grow the MWCNF array of electrodes. The structure of the electrode array was determined through simulation to achieve the best optical performance. Both the patterned catalyst and growth parameters were optimized for optimal MWCNF properties. We report an in-depth optical characterization of these reconfigurable hybrid liquid crystal and nanofiber microlens arrays.