Nanoscale Dipole Antennas Based On Centimeter Long Carbon Nanotubes For Coupling Nanoscale Devices To Microwaves

The key challenge in coupling RF signals into and out of nanoscale devices and sensors is the development of suitable nanoscale antennas. Omega Optics proposes to collaborate with Jie Liu’s group at Duke University, which has developed the first method that can grow centimeter-long, well-aligned individual single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on flat substrates suitable for device fabrication, to demonstrate the feasibility of using such long nanotubes as nanoscale antennas. It was shown that SWNTs with their length more than 2cm-long can be synthesized, which is comparable to the wavelength of microwaves. To fabricate such antenna structure, well separated and well aligned individual nanotubes will be grown by adopting a newly developed method to pattern catalyst islands with uniform size catalyst nanoparticles. The length of nanotubes can be precisely controlled by chemical etching using oxygen plasma treatment at desired locations. Dipoles will be fabricated on individual long nanotubes using photolithography method. The antennas will be characterized using HP vector network analyzer and microwave spectrum analyzer in the microwave and RF frequency range. Input impedance, antenna efficiency, radiation resistance and antenna pattern will be measured and the relation between these parameters and the structure of the nanotubes (length, diameter etc.) will be extracted from the measurements. Synthesis method that can prepare nanotubes with optimized structures for antenna applications will be developed.