We have build a system for real-time in-situ measurement of electromechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) growing between electrostatically actuated silicon cantilevers faced each other with a micrometer- order gap. Our catalytic CVD method using ethanol as a carbon source was employed along with a newly developed technique that can synthesize SWNTs directly on the surface of Si substrate at the CVD temperature of as low as 650 °C. SWNTs were successfully grown between the 10-micrometer gap of the measuring probes. Mechanical properties of the probing cantilevers under the CVD condition were then measured to assess the feasibility of real-time measurement of SWNT growth.

References :
Kazunori Hoshino, Yoichi Murakami, Shigeo Maruyama, Kiyoshi Matsumoto, Isao Shimoyama, “Electrostatically-Actuated Micro Cantilevers for Electro-Mechanical Measurement of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Grown by Catalytic CVD,” 17th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS '04), pp. 446-449, Maastricht, The Netherlands, Jan. 25-29, 2004. [Proceedings]