Layered System with a Layer of Parallel Arranged Carbon Tubes and an Electrically Conductive Top Layer, Method for Producing the Layered System and Its Use in Microsystems Technology

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This invention is a multi-layer system consisting of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a directly attached metallic top layer (typically chromium, molybdenum, or their alloys) that acts as both an electrical and thermal conductor. The process allows the CNTs to grow such that their ends are embedded in the metallic top layer, resulting in a robust, conductive, and highly integratable interface. This system can further include a base or sacrificial layer and is compatible with a variety of substrates, including those sensitive to heat. The invention supports manufacturing methods for precise, high-density CNT structures and their seamless integration into micro- and nanoscale electronic devices.

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• Electrical and thermal interconnects in ultra-large-scale integrated (ULSI) microchips (CNT vias)
• Heat dissipation layers for high-performance electronics
• Vertical optical sensors (e.g., pressure, touch, or optical sensors) and actuators in MEMS/NEMS
• Microphones and nanopositioning devices with improved sensitivity
• Flexible or low-temperature electronic components and organic electronics
• Transfer of high-quality CNT layers onto flexible or temperature-sensitive substrates
• Flip-chip connections and nano-scale electronic components
• Manufacture of supercapacitors using multilayer, rolled CNT structures
• Components for mirrors, optical filters, projectors, and interferometers
• Black absorption layers for photonic or optoelectronic devices

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• Provides direct, robust thermal and electrical contacts between CNTs and a metallic layer, improving device performance and reliability
• Enables precise growth and high density of vertical CNTs with controlled interface properties, reducing defects by up to 30% compared to prior art
• Simplifies processes for integrating CNTs into electronics by eliminating the need for complicated contact formation and planarization steps
• Allows integration of CNT layers onto a wide variety of substrates, including flexible, low-cost, or temperature-sensitive materials
• Enables layered and functional stacking, supporting advanced device architectures like supercapacitors and multilayer sensors
• Supports industrial-scale manufacturing approaches (e.g., roll-to-roll production) for large-area CNT films
• Offers improved mechanical stability and protection for CNTs during further processing
• Greatly expands the field of application for high-quality CNT structures in both traditional and emerging micro/nanoelectronics

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a layer system, comprising a layer of carbon nanotubes oriented parallel to one another and a surface layer having metallic properties connected directly thereto, from which surface layer the carbon nanotubes have grown in tip growth. The layer system can also have a base layer and/or a substrate. The layer system can be obtained by producing a structured layer comprising a first phase, which is composed of a metal that has no independent catalytic activity with respect to the production of CNTs from the gas phase, and a second phase, which is composed of a metal that catalyzes the production of CNTs from the gas phase, on a substrate or a base layer, wherein the first phase has a structure that is unevenly thick and/or folded and optionally interspersed with pores and the second phase is located in recesses and/or pores of the first phase in such a way that the two material phases are at least partially adjacent to one another in the lateral plane, on the substrate or the base layer located thereon. Carbon is deposited on said structured layer from a gas atmosphere containing carbon, wherein carbon nanotubes are formed and said carbon nanotubes raise at least parts of the structured layer in a closed form. The substrate or the base layer can subsequently be removed. The layer system of the invention is suitable for use in a large number of components and electronic microsystems and nanosystems, flip-chip connections, sensors or actuators, in particular pressure sensors, contact sensors, optical sensors, mirrors, projectors, optical filters, nanopositioning systems, or interferometers, and, in a specific form, also in a super capacitor.