Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistor
The present VLSI electronic systems rely on the Silicon MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) technology whose advances will soon come to saturation. Carbon nanotubes represent advancement in the materials technology with potential for providing switching devices that may be faster and smaller than the present MOS devices. Carbon nanotubes are miniature tube structures with intriguing characteristics. The tube, in the normal untwisted state, conducts electricity. When twisted, the tube acts as a semiconductor. This transistor is considered one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century. It has helped to bring about both the information and computing age. One reason for success is its ability to decrease in size and increase in speed. This property is summarized in Moore’s law. It states that the transistor’s size will decrease exponentially while its speed will increase exponentially. Moore’s law has allowed the technology sector to progress and remain compe...