Ultra Low Power NO2 Gas Sensors Based on Suspended CNFETs

The charge carrier transport in carbon nanotubes is highly sensitive to certain molecules attached to their surface. In this invited contribution, we intend to summarize the current knowledge on suspended CNFETs as NO2 sensors. Sensor recovery within minutes through self-heating has been shown. Improvements in fabrication processes aimed at reducing the impact of charge traps have reduced the hysteresis, drift and low-frequency noise in carbon nanotube transistors. While open challenges such as large-scale fabrication still remain, these results demonstrate considerable progress in transforming the promise of carbon nanotube properties into functional ultra-low power, highly sensitive gas sensors.