Quantum efficiency and capture cross section of first and second excitonic transitions of single-walled carbon nanotubes measured through photoconductivity.

Comparing photoconductivity measurements, using p-n diodes formed along individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT), with modeling results, allows determination of the quantum efficiency, optical capture cross section, and oscillator strength of the first (E11) and second (E22) excitonic transitions of SWNTs. This is in the infrared region of the spectrum, where little experimental work on SWNT optical absorption has been reported to date. We estimate quantum efficiency (η) ~1-5% and provide a correlation of η, capture cross section, and oscillator strength for E11 and E22 with nanotube diameter. This study uses the spectral weight of the exciton resonances as the determining parameter in optical measurements.

Measuring carbon nanotube band gaps through leakage current and excitonic transitions of nanotube diodes.

The band gap of a semiconductor is one of its most fundamental properties. It is one of the defining parameters for applications, including nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. Measuring the band gap, however, has received little attention for quasi-one-dimensional materials, including single-walled carbon nanotubes. Here we show that the current-voltage characteristics of p-n diodes fabricated with semiconducting carbon nanotubes can be used along with the excitonic transitions of the nanotubes to measure both the fundamental (intrinsic) and renormalized nanotube band-gaps.