Controlled deposition of aligned carbon nanotubes by floating electrodes dielectrophoresis

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) based future electronic device requires controlled deposition of aligned nanotubes. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a promising technique for aligned deposition of carbon nanotubes across a pre-patterned gap between microelectrodes. Usually, application of a potential results in the deposition of nanotubes on all edges of microelectrodes. In this work, we report a novel floated electrode structure to realize a controlled deposition of nanotubes, only across those edges of a floating electrode, which are facing a counter electrode. Floating electrode DEP allows preparation of devices without the unwanted CNT thus preventing creation of parasitic pathways between microelectrodes. Electrostatic field simulations were also carried out to show the effect of floating electrode.