Low-temperature growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were successfully grown on SiO2/Si substrates at 450 degrees C by remote plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition with a plasma power of 15 W. The ratio of D-band (disorder-induced mode) to G-band (tangential stretching mode) in the Raman spectra, an indicator of nanotube quality, is about 0.1 owing to their good quality. Even at 400 degrees C, SWNTs were also grown with low plasma power (< 40 W), although the I-D/I-G ratios are higher than those at 450 degrees C. It is discussed that for low-temperature growth of SWNTs, the plasma power should be held at a low level to avoid the formation of disordered or amorphous carbons. The low-temperature growth of SWNTs may enable compatible integration of SWNTs with current complementary metal-oxide-silicon technology.