A. Bachtold, J.-P. Salvetat, J.-M. Bonard, M. Henny, C. Terrier, C. Strunk, L. Forró, and C. Schönenberger, Contacting Carbon-Nanotubes selectively with Low-Ohmic Contacts for Four-Probe Electric Measurements, Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 274 (1998).
 

Description:

One of the most difficult aspects of nanotechnology is how nanotech is interfaced with "macrotech", in other words, technology that we can push buttons on and plug into the wall.  The door to nano as a technology really has come through pushing the limits of microtechnology, and developing new methods of fabrication and analysis entirely.  Growing nanotubes and many other nanostructures takes advantage of chemistry to produce large numbers at once.  In order to make electrical contact to a single carbon nanotube, high-resolution electron beam lithography is used to pre-structure the substrate and to apply conducting leads. The reliable addressing of a single molecule (the nanotube), that is to attach alligator clips to the molecule, is one of the most challenging parts.  Having good contacts makes electrical characterization of the nanotube possible.
 

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