Active electronic device and electronic apparatus

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Therefore, the industries are waiting for a device technique that enables a device formed from a carbon nanotube with metallic properties to operate actively and at high speed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an active electronic device which is formed from a carbon nanotube and which excels in high frequency operation and an electronic apparatus using the active electronic device.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an active electronic device includes: a carbon nanotube; a first electrode connected to one end of the carbon nanotube; a second electrode connected to the other end of the carbon nanotube; and a third electrode facing the carbon nanotube to irradiate the carbon nanotube with electromagnetic waves, and is characterized in that the amount of current flowing into the carbon nanotube is changed by electromagnetic waves, at least high frequency electromagnetic waves, radiated from the third electrode onto the carbon nanotube.
The present inventors have thought of the present invention based on a finding that the conductivity of a carbon nanotube can be changed by setting electrodes as described above in relation to the carbon nanotube and radiating high frequency wave from the third electrode onto the carbon nanotube.
A change in conductivity of the carbon nanotube causes a change in amount of current flowing into the carbon nanotube and also changes the resistance between the first electrode and the second electrode.
The basic structure of the active electronic device of the present invention is similar to the structure of a field effect transistor that uses a carbon nanotube.
However, the present invention is innovative in that high frequency waves are radiated from the third electrode, which corresponds to a gate electrode of a transistor, to make it possible to control the conductivity of the carbon nanotube even if it is a multi wall carbon nanotube or other carbon nanotube with metallic properties, thus obtaining an active electronic device from other carbon nanotube than a single wall carbon nanotube with the semiconductor characteristic