Electric part and method of manufacturing the same

• US 20040041154A1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hiroyuki, Watanabe, Miho, Manabe, Chikara, Shimizu, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,065,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/77
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00 Manufacture or treatment of devices or systems in or on a substrate B81C3/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/24 the conductive material comprising carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2004/022 Electrodes made of one single microscopic fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/663 containing carbon or carbonaceous materials as conductive part, e.g. graphite, carbon fibres
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49004 including measuring or testing of device or component part

Abstract

There are provided an electric part which can be produced through a production process which is excellent in an industrial productivity and a method of manufacturing the electric part, by including a matrix-shaped nonconductive base member, a carbon nanotube group that is sealed within the nonconductive base member and includes one carbon nanotube or plural carbon nanotubes which are electrically connected to each other, in which substantially only end portion of the one carbon nanotube or at least one carbon nanotube contained in the plural carbon nanotubes is exposed from one surface of the nonconductive base member, and an electrode that is connected to a side surface of the at least one carbon nanotube contained in the carbon nanotube group.

Claims

1. An electric part comprising:

a nonconductive base matrix member;

a carbon nanotube group that is sealed within the nonconductive base matrix member and includes one carbon nanotube or plural carbon nanotubes which are electrically connected to each other, in which substantially only an end portion of the one carbon nanotube or at least one carbon nanotube contained in the plural carbon nanotubes is exposed from one surface of the nonconductive base matrix member; and

an electrode that is connected to a side surface of the at least one carbon nanotube contained in the carbon nanotube group.

2. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein a second electrode layer that is electrically connected with substantially only the exposed end portion of the carbon nanotube is formed on a surface of the nonconductive base matrix member from which the end portion of the carbon nanotube is exposed.

3. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein the exposed end portion of the carbon nanotube becomes a cut surface.

4. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein a volume resistance of the nonconductive base matrix member is from 1×

10⁷ Ω

cm to 1×

10¹⁵ Ω

cm.

5. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein the nonconductive base matrix member is made of a resin material.

6. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of metal, semiconductor, and conductive organic high polymer.

7. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of Au, Pt, Ag, Si, GaAs, InP, GaN, polypyrrole, and polyaniline.

8. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is made of a metal material that can form a nonconductive oxide layer due to oxidation.

9. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is made of Al.

10. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein:

the electrode is made of a metal material that can form a nonconductive oxide layer due to oxidation; and

the end portion of the electrode is exposed from one surface of the nonconductive base matrix member together with the end portion of the carbon nanotube, and the exposed end portion of the electrode is formed of an oxide layer obtained by oxidizing the metal material.

11. An electric part according to claim 1, wherein:

the electrode is made of Al; and

the end portion of the electrode is exposed from one surface of the nonconductive base matrix member together with the end portion of the carbon nanotube, and the exposed end portion of the electrode is formed of an oxide layer obtained by oxidizing Al.

12. An electric part according to claim 2, wherein the second electrode layer is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of metal, semiconductor, and conductive organic high polymer.

13. An electric part according to claim 2, wherein the second electrode layer is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of Au, Pt, Ag, Si, GaAs, InP, GaN, polypyrrole, and polyaniline.

14. A method of manufacturing an electric part, comprising:

sealing a carbon nanotube group including one carbon nanotube or plural carbon nanotubes which are electrically connected to each other in a nonconductive base member;

forming an electrode which is electrically connected to a side surface of at least one carbon nanotube included in the carbon nanotube group; and

cutting the at least one carbon nanotube included in the carbon nanotube group together with the nonconductive base member to obtain a cut surface.

15. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, wherein:

the nonconductive base member is formed at least of a sheet-shaped or plate-shaped nonconductive substrate and a nonconductive base member layer formed on a surface of the substrate; and

the sealing step includes arranging the carbon nanotube group on the substrate surface, and forming the base member layer that covers and seals the overall carbon nanotube group.

16. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 15, wherein the forming step of an electrode includes forming the electrode on the substrate surface to a layer.

17. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, wherein a cut portion in the cutting step is in a region where the electrode is not formed.

18. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, wherein:

the electrode is made of a metal material that can form a nonconductive oxide layer due to oxidation; and

a cut portion in the cutting step is a region where the electrode is formed.

19. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, further comprising forming a second electrode layer on the cut surface subsequent to the cutting step.

20. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, wherein a volume resistance of the nonconductive base member is from 1×

10⁷ Ω

cm to 1×

10¹⁵ Ω

cm.

21. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 19, wherein a volume resistance of the nonconductive base member is from 1×

10⁷ Ω

cm to 1×

10¹⁵ Ω

cm.

22. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, wherein the nonconductive base member is made of a resin material.

23. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 15, wherein the nonconductive base member layer is made of a resin material.

24. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, wherein the electrode is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of metal, semiconductor, and conductive organic high polymer.

25. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 19, wherein the electrode is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of metal, semiconductor, and conductive organic high polymer.

26. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, wherein the electrode is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of Au, Pt, Ag, Si, GaAs, InP, GaN, polypyrrole, and polyaniline.

27. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 19, wherein the electrode is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of Au, Pt, Ag, Si, GaAs, InP, GaN, polypyrrole, and polyaniline.

28. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 19, wherein the second electrode layer is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of metal, semiconductor, and conductive organic high polymer.

29. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 19, wherein the second electrode layer is made of any one material selected from a group consisting of Au, Pt, Ag, Si, GaAs, InP, GaN, polypyrrole, and polyaniline.

30. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 15, wherein the arranging step includes arranging the carbon nanotube group by coating a dispersion solution resulting from dispersing the carbon nanotube in a dispersion medium on a desired region and drying the dispersion solution.

31. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 30, wherein the dispersion medium includes water and/or alcohol.

32. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 30, wherein the dispersion medium includes water and/or alcohol, and a surface active agent.

33. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 14, wherein a diamond knife or a sapphire knife is employed in the cutting.

34. A method of manufacturing an electric part according to claim 19, wherein a diamond knife or a sapphire knife is employed in the cutting.