High Current All-Semiconductor Carbon Nanotube Electronics*

Existence of both metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes in as-grown materials has hindered the development of nanotube electronics. A gas-phase plasma hydrocarbonation reaction is shown here to selectively etch and gasify metallic nanotubes, retain semiconducting nanotubes in near-pristine forms without covalent modification, and narrow down diameter distribution of the semiconductors. 100{\%} of purely semiconducting nanotubes are obtained and connected in parallel for high-current transistors without shorts by metallic species. The `dry' chemical approach is scalable and compatible with existing semiconductor processing technology for future integrated circuits.