A continuous synthesis, deposition, and transfer technique for the fabrication of high-quality SWCNT thin films of meter-scale dimension with excellent optoelectrical performance is developed. SWCNTs are continuously synthesized by a floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition technique, and then deposited on a moving membrane filter forming SWCNT thin films. The length of the SWCNT film is unlimited, because the as-deposited film is transferred onto a flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate with the aid of a roll-to-roll transfer system, and the membrane filter can be repeatedly used for the SWCNT film collection. More importantly, as there are no impurities and defects introduced in the production processes, the SWCNT films have an excellent optoelectrical performance including a low sheet resistance of 65 Ω/□with a transmittance of 90% at a wavelength of 550 nm. Using these SWCNT thin films, all-CNT TFTs and ICs including 101-stage ring oscillators have been constructed that show excellent performance and uniformity. The meter-scale high-quality SWCNT films and the devices fabricated from them will pave the way for future development of large-scale, flexible, and transparent electronics based on SWCNT thin films.

Meter-scale single-wall carbon nanotube thin films.