Carbon Nanotube Technology for RF Amplification

Theoretical studies have shown that the electrical current in a CNT Field Effect Transistor (CFET) is intrinsically linear. Inherently linear CNTs offer significant improvements in performance without sacrificing power and have the potential for greatly improving range and sensitivity in state-of-the-art receivers such as those used in satellite systems and other communications applicationsModeling of past results reveals a key limitation to achieving superior linearity are the Schottky barriers formed at the interfaces between CNTs and their contacting materials. Recent research indicates that careful control of the Schottky barriers is needed to balance linearity and speed (Ft) and thus reveal the all important linear properties promised by CNTs.This project will enable Schottky barrier control via an adjustable contact material at the CNT interface, combined with novel channel doping techniques. An engineered contact interface stack will be used to create a controllable process to adjust the Schottky barrier height. Further doping of the channel offers another degree of freedom to adjust the barrier height to the targeted value. The results of this study are important for revealing the groundbreaking linearity that CNTs are theoretically capable of delivering.