Terahertz-infrared spectroscopy of wafer-scale films of single-walled carbon nanotubes treated by plasma

We investigated terahertz-infrared electrodynamic properties of wafer-scale films composed of plasma-treated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and films comprising SWCNTs grown with different lengths. The spectra of complex conductance of the films were measured at frequencies 5–20 000 cm−1 and in the temperature interval 5–300 K. Terahertz spectral response of films of pristine SWCNTs is well described with the Drude conductivity model and a plasmon resonance located at ≈100 cm−1. Stepwise treatment of the films with oxygen plasma led to a gradual suppression of the Drude spectral weight from the low-frequency side. For films with the nanotubes shorter than 1 μm, i.e., close to electrons mean free path and localization length, scattering of charge carriers at the nanotubes edges is shown to additionally contribute to the carriers scattering rate and to the damping of plasmon resonance. The temperature coefficient of ac resistance (ac TCR) in both kinds of films is found to strongly increase in amplitude during cooling and frequency decrease. The values of ac TCR increase in films with longer time of plasma treatment and nanotubes with shorter length but reach saturation in films with exposure time longer than ≈100 s or composed from SWCNTs shorter than 1 μm.