Electrophoretic directed assembly and transfer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) for electronics and biomedical applications

Permanent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20154933
Title:
Electrophoretic directed assembly and transfer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) for electronics and biomedical applications
Creator:
Apaydin, Mehmet Cem (Author)
Contributor:
Busnaina, A. A. (Advisor)
Upmanyu, Moneesh (Committee member)
Wan, Kai-Tak (Committee member)
Language:
English
Publisher:
Boston, Massachusetts : Northeastern University, 2014
Date Accepted:
August 2014
Date Awarded:
August 2014
Type of resource:
Text
Genre:
Dissertations
Format:
electronic
Digital origin:
born digital
Abstract/Description:
Electronics industry is in need of new nanomaterials to integrate into various applications, such as integrated circuits, optoelectronics and sensor devices. Apart from conventional devices that are established previously with silicon and III–V semiconductors, the flexible electronics with novel molecular architectures is a new rising trend. The integration of these materials into the applications is needed in order to exceed the recent performance limits. This requires highly scalable, high–yield and high–rate micro/nano fabrication methods. Instead of the traditional top–down manufacturing approaches, novel non-traditional bottom–up processes are envisioned for the successful integration in the next decade. However, few realistic efforts have been made to successfully commercialize the applications above for the consumer availability by introducing novel bottom–up fabrication procedures.

Single–walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) hold promise for various electronics applications by displaying significant fundamental physical characteristics. Fundamental research has matured to identify the capabilities of SWNTs, and it is believed that SWNTs pave the way to advance the contemporary applications in electronics industry by providing miniaturization and flexibility. However, suitable fabrication methods have to be developed to fully utilize SWNTs for commercialization and consumer availability. The manufacturing approaches introduced in this research aim to provide high–rate and low–cost methodologies that realize the applications over large area with high–yield and reliability.

In this dissertation, electrophoretic directed assembly of SWNTs and various transfer methods are utilized to integrate the aligned thin–film SWNT networks into the applications, mainly in the field of flexible electronics. Electrophoretic directed assembly of SWNTs is a reliable method for having precise control over the location and alignment of SWNTs on device layouts. A parameter study is done to tune the thin–film assembly of aligned SWNT networks that are considered as the active layers of devices. Three different integration processes with material transfer are engineered to incorporate the high–density highly aligned thin–film SWNT networks from templates to devices. Each methodology aims to realize flexible microelectronics with transistor–based applications. It is demonstrated that such SWNT networks are integrable into the flexible electronics without altering the mainstream physical characteristics of SWNTs and devices by bringing the appropriate materials and methods together.
Subjects and keywords:
directed assembly
percolation
process
single-walled carbon nanotubes
transfer printing
transistor
Nanostructured materials -- Design and construction
Carbon nanotubes -- Industrial applications
Nanotechnology -- Industrial applications
Electrophoresis
Microfabrication
Microelectronics
Percolation (Statistical physics)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17760/D20154933
Permanent Link:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20154933
Use and reproduction:
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