Gate dependent photo-responses of carbon nanotube field effect phototransistors

Gate dependent photoconductivity of carbon nanotube (CNT) field effect phototransistors (FEPs) was systematically investigated in this study. The photo-response comparisons of CNT FEPs with symmetric and asymmetric metal structures connecting to the same CNT revealed that the gate effect contributed to a sensitivity improvement with a lower dark current, a higher photocurrent, and an enhanced photovoltage. A functionalized asymmetric FEP, fabricated by partially doping the CNT utilizing a polyethylene imine (PEI) polymer, verified that FEPs delivered a better performance by using asymmetric structures. A multi-gate FEP, with three pairs of side-gates that can electrostatically dope different sections of a CNT independently, was fabricated to examine the gate structure dependent photo-responses. Experimental measurements showed an unconventional photocurrent improvement that was weakly dependent on the gate location, which was attributed to the unique charge distribution of one-dimensional semiconductors. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.