Integration for All Configurations

Since their discovery in 1991 [1], carbon nano-tubes (CNTs), have been considered among the most promising materials for logic nanodevices, interconnects and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). They have remarkably unique mechanical (Youngs modulus up to 1TPa) and electrical (conductivity higher than Cu, for metallic nanotubes, and high mobility of carriers, for semiconducting nanotubes) properties. Another unique property that makes CNTs particularly attractive as via technology is their ability to carry current densities of over 108 A/cm2 [2], [3] without electromigration issues. Figure 1(a) summarizes some of their key electrical and mechanical figures of merit that make them interesting for the applications described in this work, and Figure 1(b) shows a CNT with an average diameter of 1.2 nm grown for via interconnects. © 2011 IEEE.