Characterization of Northeastern University's carbon nanotube based nano-switch and a study of contact resistance at carbon nanotube-metal interface

This thesis presents electrical test results of carbon nanotube based nano-switches fabricated at Northeastern University. A study of contact resistances of carbon nanotubes with various metals and a preliminary look at the reliability of the contacts was also carried out. A test system was designed to make measurements of low-level electrical signals. The test setup could measure currents down to the 100 femto-amps regime and voltages as low as 100muV accurately. The noise margin for the test setup was 78mdB (80 fA). Experiments include two-wire and four-wire resistance measurements, switching experiments and anneals with temperatures ranging from 100°C to 500°C.;A new template for nanoswitch was designed and fabricated to perform high rate assembly. Following the assembly a study of contact resistance of carbon nanotubes with different metals at different temperatures was made. The effects of contact resistance of the annealed samples with time were also studied. This study provides insight into the reliability of these switches and gives direction for developing better contacts.