Size-Dependent Resistivity in Nanoscale Interconnects

Abstract

As the dimensions of conductors shrink into the nanoscale, their electrical conductivity becomes dependent on their size even at room temperature. Although the behavior varies dramatically as temperatures increase from nanokelvins to hundreds of kelvins, the effect is generally to increase the resistivity above that of bulk material. As such, the underlying size-dependent phenomena have become increasingly important as advanced technologies have shifted their focus first from macro- to microscale and more recently from micro- to nanoscale dimensions. Indeed, the size-dependent increase of electrical resistivity that results from electron scattering on external and internal surfaces of copper conductors has already become technology limiting in modern microelectronics. This article summarizes the phenomena that underlie size effects, focusing on conduction in copper lines in particular. Attention is given to describing key innovations in both theoretical and experimental assessments that have significantly modified, facilitated, or advanced understanding.

Contact resistivity and suppression of Fermi level pinning in side-contacted germanium nanowires

“…Electrode height was set at 80 nm to ensure continuous NW coverage and to avoid surface scattering effects in the electrodes. 20 Different metals (Pd, Pt, Au, and Ag) were selected to account for work function differences. 21 Cross-sectional lamellas of the electrode/NW regions were prepared using focused ion beam to study the quality of the contact-interfaces via TEM ( Fig.…”

Effects of Nanoscaled Tin-Doped Indium Oxide on Liquid Crystals against Electrostatic Discharge

“…According to the study by Josell et al [22], it was believed that the surged resistivity of our nano-ITO samples is mainly attributable to the size of the ITO particles reduced down in the regime to nanometers. The porosity of the compacted pellet of ITO powder may also affect the resulting resistivity.…”

On twin density and resistivity of nanometric Cu thin films

“…As can be seen from the table and the figure, the error range for p is significantly larger than that for R, in agreement with the previous reports. 1,12,18 The values of R ¼ 0. TABLE IV.…”