Abstract.
We report equilibrium electric resistance R and tunneling spectroscopy (dI/dV)measurements obtained on single multi-wall nanotubes contacted by four metallic Au fingers from above. At low temperature quantum interference phenomena dominate the magnetoresistance. The phase-coherence (lφ)and elastic-scattering lengths (le)are deduced. Because le is of order of the circumference of the nanotubes, transport is quasi-ballistic. This result is supported by a dI/dV spectrum which is in good agreement with the density of states (DOS) due to the one-dimensional subbands expected for a perfect single-wall tube. As a function of temperature T the resistance increases on decreasing T and saturates at ≈1–10 Kfor all measured nanotubes. R(T) cannot be related to the energy-dependent DOS of graphene but is mainly caused by interaction and interference effects. On a relatively small voltage scale of the order ≈10 meV, a pseudogap is observed in dI/dV which agrees with Luttinger-liquid theories for nanotubes. Because we have used quantum diffusion based on Fermi-liquid as well as Luttinger-liquid theory in trying to understand our results, a large fraction of this paper is devoted to a careful discussion of all our results.
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Received: 17 May 1999 / Accepted: 18 May 1999 / Published online: 4 August 1999
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Schönenberger, C., Bachtold, A., Strunk, C. et al. Interference and Interaction in multi-wall carbon nanotubes . Appl Phys A 69, 283–295 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s003390051003
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s003390051003