ChiYung Yam et al 2008 Nanotechnology 19 495203 doi:10.1088/0957-4484/19/49/495203
ChiYung Yam1, Yan Mo1, Fan Wang1, Xiaobo Li1, GuanHua Chen1, Xiao Zheng1,2, Yuki Matsuda3, Jamil Tahir-Kheli3 and William A Goddard III3
Show affiliationsWe use first-principles quantum mechanics to simulate the transient electrical response through carbon nanotube-based conductors under time-dependent bias voltages. The dynamic admittance and time-dependent charge distribution are reported and analyzed. We find that the electrical response of these two-terminal molecular devices can be mapped onto an equivalent classical electric circuit and that the switching time of these end-on carbon nanotube devices is only a few femtoseconds. This result is confirmed by studying the electric response of a simple two-site model device and is thus generalized to other two-terminal molecular electronic devices.
85.65.+h Molecular electronic devices
84.30.Bv Circuit theory (including computer-aided circuit design and analysis)
Issue 49 (10 December 2008)
Received 18 July 2008, in final form 15 October 2008
Published 18 November 2008
ChiYung Yam et al 2008 Nanotechnology 19 495203