Incorporating Individual Carbon Nanotubes into a Broadband

Antenna to Measure their High Frequency Response

Anthony Annunziata '05

Advisor: Dr. Beth Parks

Carbon nanotubes are nanometer diameter hollow tubes of carbon that are ideal one-dimensional conductors. They are being developed as elements in molecular electronics. This application requires characterization of nanotubes at very high frequencies (THz).  This project facilitates such study by incorporating individual carbon nanotubes into broadband (bow tie) antennas for characterization using terahertz time domain spectroscopy. Absorption spectra will be compared to an existing model of high frequency electron transport in one dimension (based on Luttinger   liquid theory). Antenna and related microstructures were designed and patterned on a sapphire substrate using optical photolithography at the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility. Carbon nanotubes were grown using chemical vapor deposition in conjunction with the McEuen  research group at Cornell University. The project is ongoing. Preliminary measurements indicate that nanotubes were successfully integrated into the antenna structures, but with a few unresolved issues.