Carbon nanowire-based temperature sensor

A temperature sensor based on an array of carbon nanowires written by a 30 keV Ga+ focused ion beam on diamond substrate has been developed. The temperature sensitivity of the electrical conductuctance between the nanowires is explained by the thermal activation of charge carriers in a heterostructure graphite‐diamond over an energy barrier of 0.24 eV. The sensor shows an exponential increase of current with temperature at a rate of 0.1 dB/°C in the temperature range from 40 to 140 °C. The advantages of the novel carbon nanowire sensor are light blindness, compatibility with carbon nanotechnology, reproducibility and simplicity of fabrication. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)