Frequency dependent characterization of transport properties in carbon nanotube transistors

We have experimentally verified that carbon nanotube field-effect transistors do not show any signal degradation when operated at frequencies up to 580 MHz, the limit of our current measurement setup. In order to characterize the high-frequency response of individual single wall carbon nanotubes in a three-terminal transistor configuration, a non-standard measurement approach was employed. By making use of the nonlinearity of nanotube transistor transfer characteristics, the response of a tube to a combined ac/dc signal was studied. This technique enables easy access to the high-frequency performance of nanoscale devices in general even for the rather low current levels typically observed for individual carbon nanotube field-effect transistors.