Carbon nanotube transistor technology for More-Moore scaling

Scaling of silicon field-effect transistors has fueled the exponential development of microelectronics in the past 60 years, but is now close to its physical limits with the critical dimensions of state-of-the-art silicon devices approaching the sub-10 nm regime. Carbon nanotubes have been suggested to hold great promise of replacing the central role of silicon in the next-generation logic switches with their unique geometrical and electrical properties. In this article, I firstly examine the scaling advantages of carbon nanotubes compared to silicon from technology-development perspective, and then review the latest progress on addressing the manufacturability issues for scaled carbon-nanotube transistors, from materials to device-integration levels. Finally, the possible pathways for nanotube transistors to transition into commercial applications are discussed. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]