Carbon Nanotube Electron Sources: From Electron Beams to Energy Conversion and Optophononics

Figure 14

Proposed structure for an optophononic transistor/switch: when the gate signal (light beam) is off, a temperature difference between the source and drain leads to phonon flow through the channel (carbon nanotube bundle); when the light beam is on with intensity above the Heat Trap threshold, a section in the middle of the nanotube bundle heats to high temperatures, leading to a local decrease in thermal conductivity and reduced phonon flow. Modulating the light intensity around the Heat Trap threshold would lead to the modulation of the phonon flow between the source and the drain.