Abstract
We investigate high-field transport in bundles of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with multiple contacts. The bundles carry currents in excess of (a current density of before saturation and electrical breakdown, indicating that conduction is predominantly by nanotubes on the surface of the bundle which are directly contacted by electrodes. Using a four-probe configuration, we measure the contact resistance and show that it is nearly constant as the bias voltage varies. This strongly supports the notion that electron-phonon scattering, and not a contact effect, causes current saturation at high-field. Electrical breakdown proceeds by sequential destruction of individual metallic nanotubes on the bundle surface, with steplike current drops of about At very high bias, the current-carrying capacity of the bundle increases due to field-enhanced coupling between nanotubes in the bundle.
- Received 16 July 2001
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.64.241307
©2001 American Physical Society