Nano-scale, planar and multi-tiered current pathways from a carbon nanotube–copper composite with high conductivity, ampacity and stability

Abstract

New lithographically processable materials with high ampacity are in demand to meet the increasing requirement for high operational current density at high temperatures existing in current pathways within electronic devices. To meet this demand, we report an approach to fabricate a high ampacity (∼100 times higher than Cu) carbon nanotube-copper (CNT-Cu) composite into a variety of complex nano-scale, planar and multi-tiered current pathways. The approach involved the use of a two-stage electrodeposition of copper into a pre-patterned template of porous, thin CNT sheets acting as the electrode. The versatility of this approach enabled the realization of completely suspended multi-tier, dielectric-less 'air-gap' CNT-Cu circuits that could be electrically isolated from each other and are challenging to fabricate with pure Cu or any metal. Importantly, all such complex structures, ranging from 500 nm to 20 μm in width, exhibited ∼100-times higher ampacity than any known metal, with comparable electrical conductivity as Cu. In addition, CNT-Cu structures also exhibited a superior temperature stability compared to the ∼10-times wider Cu counterparts. We believe that the combination of our approach and the properties demonstrated here are vital achievements for the future development of efficient and powerful electrical devices.

A carbon-nanotube based nano-furnace for in-situ restructuring of a magnetoelectric oxide

“…4 carrying capacity of a CNT not only relates to these intrinsic factors but also to the geometry related factors [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] . For instance, I-V characteristics on an individual CNT have been studied earlier in a suspended geometry or when it lies over a substrate 1 , both of which are geometry related factors.…”

“…For instance, I-V characteristics on an individual CNT have been studied earlier in a suspended geometry or when it lies over a substrate 1 , both of which are geometry related factors. These factors crucially influence the heat dissipation paths during I-V scans and consequently influence the current carrying capacity [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] . Thus heat dissipation mechanism or thermal heat management are important issues in nano electronics based on CNT or otherwise [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] .…”

“…Such I-V measurements [1][2][3][4][5] are central to the utility of the CNT, either as superior metallic interconnects vis a vis Au or Pt nano wires, or as a replacement for semiconductor based transistor elements in nano electronics [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] . Key factors that influence the current carrying capacity of the CNT as an interconnect are both intrinsic and geometry related.…”

“…Probing the I-V characteristics of individual carbon nanotubes [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] has been a subject of intense investigations since it is crucial for their integration into miniaturized devices.…”

Carbon Nanotube Fiber Pretreatments for Electrodeposition of Copper

“…One particular class of such composites is based on carbon nanotubes surrounded by a copper matrix [1][2][3]. Low-density CNT composites with significantly increased conductivity, current-carrying capacity, and mechanical properties could revolutionize many different industry sectors with applications in electrical wiring, microelectronics, and power transfer [4][5][6]. Such composites can be formed by utilizing carbon nanotube wires, such as fibers or films, as the base material [7][8][9][10].…”