Carbon nanotubes in interconnect applications

Carbon nanotubes with their outstanding electrical and mechanical properties are suggested as an interconnect material of the future. In this paper we will introduce nanotubes, compare their electrical properties with equivalent metal wires made of gold and describe our progress in process integration. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are grown on 6-inch wafers in a batch process. The resulting nanotubes are evaluated with respect to their conductance as single multiwalled nanotubes and in their implementation as interconnects in vias and contact holes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.