Printed thin-film transistors and complementary logic gates that use polymer-coated single-walled carbon nanotube networks

Abstract

This paper reports on the electrical properties of thin-film transistors (TFTs) that use polymer-coated networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as the semiconductor with source and drain electrodes formed by high-resolution printing techniques. P-channel, n-channel, and ambipolar TFTs are demonstrated with bare SWNT networks, networks coated with polyethylene imine and with polyethylene oxide, respectively. Studies of the scaling of properties with channel length and tube density reveal important information about the operation of these devices. Complementary inverters made with n- and p-channel devices show gain larger than one and illustrate the potential use of these types of TFTs for complex logic circuits.