Evaluation of thermal conduction of single carbon nanotube by local heating in air

We evaluated thermal conduction of a single carbon nanotube (CNT) in air. Heating the end of the CNT locally by a microheater, we measured temperature dependence of electrical resistance of the single CNT. First, we fabricated the microheater for local heating and four electrodes for electrical resistance measurement on a Silicon on Insulator (SOI) wafer and made a gap for heat insulation. The effectiveness of the SOI wafer and the gap was confirmed by FEM analysis. Next, the single CNT was manipulated on this pattern by nanomanipulation and fixed by Electron-Beam-Induced-Deposition (EBID) in the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Finally, we measured the electrical resistance when the temperature of the microheater was changed by applying the voltage. As a result, we could evaluate the thermal conduction of a specific single CNT in air. This paper also indicates the possibility of using a single CNT as a temperature sensor.