Single- and multilayer graphene wires as alternative interconnects

• Decrease in mobility and MFP is observed with aggressive scaling of graphene wires.
• Multilayer graphene stacks need to be considered for advanced interconnects.
• Experimental results are in agreement with recent simulation results.
• Lower contact resistance is observed for few-layer graphene.
• The obtained mean free path in graphene is relatively high compared to Cu.

In this work, we evaluate the material properties of graphene and assess the potential application of graphene to replace copper wires in Back-End-Of-Line (BEOL) interconnects. Based on circuit and system-level simulations, high restrictions are imposed to graphene with respect to contact resistance and mean free path. Experimentally we evaluate single and multi-layer graphene wires and we measure carrier mean free paths (MFPs) above ~ 110 nm. However, contact engineering will be the key issue for integration of graphene as interconnect.

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