STTR Phase I: High Quality Carbon Nanotubes for Radio Frequency Applications

The broader impacts/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I can be found across the semiconductor industry with a very large first market in wireless communications. Due to their extraordinary properties, more specifically, the linearity of these devices, the technologies can find applications in low noise amplifiers, mixers, and power amplifiers in wireless systems by replacing the transistors used in these parts. Such a wireless market is estimated to be ten(s) billion dollars by 2020 driven by mobile data. The high performance of the devices will also lead to radically change of the current cost-performance paradigm allowing for billions of dollars of savings in base stations for current service levels and likely accelerating the displacement of wireline networks. As the technology matures, it will displace most if not all moderate bandgap materials used in today's technology. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will develop electronic devices for radio frequency (RF) application using carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The demanding for high speed wireless communication requires electronic devices with high linearity. RF devices made of silicon and compound semiconductors, such as gallium arsenide, have to sacrifice power efficiency in order to reach certain linearity specification. CNT is a one dimensional material with diameter in nanometer range. It has far superior properties ranging from mobility to current carrying capability to thermal stability. Calculations show CNT amplifiers will be inherently linear with noise suppressed to the lowest possible quantum limit. These properties allow for electronic devices that will performance better than the existing technologies with high speed, low noise, and most importantly, high linearity. With improved linearity, higher data rate and higher power efficiency (longer battery time of the mobile device) can be achieved. As importantly, the cost for making such devices will be dramatically lower because of the simple method for material synthesis and device fabrication and the material's properties allow for older, cheaper fabrication processes to be retained.