Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes Embedded In A Metallic Film For A Thermistor Device With An Adjustable Temperature Coefficient And Reduced Noise Source Activities

Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube-Au (sSWCNT-Au) hybrid films are prepared to build a thermistor device with an adjustable temperature coefficient and show that the embedded sSWCNTs reduce the resistivity and noise source activities in the nanoscale regions of the film. The temperature coefficient of the hybrid films can be adjusted from negative to positive values simply by increasing the deposited Au thickness. Moreover, scanning noise microscopy is utilized to map the nanoscale variation of the resistivity and noise source density on the sSWCNT-Au hybrid films. Interestingly, the map shows that the regions with both sSWCNT and Au exhibit three times lower resistivity and 18 times smaller noise source activities than pristine Au regions, indicating that sSWCNTs embedded in metallic films can significantly reduce the resistivity and electrical noise source activities in the film.