Comparative Analysis of the Crosstalk Effects in Multilayer Graphene Nanoribbon and MWCNT Interconnects in Sub-10 nm Technologies

Abstract

In this paper, the crosstalk effects in multilayer graphene nanoribbon (MLGNR) interconnects are evaluated and are compared with those in multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) interconnects in ternary integrated circuits at the 10 and 7 nm technologies. For a more precise evaluation, the five-line bus architecture is considered. Furthermore, the effects of the top and bottom aggressors are considered for a more accurate analysis in sub-10 nm dimensions. The active and passive shielding techniques are also applied to reduce the crosstalk effects. Our results indicate that the MLGNR interconnects outperform the MWCNTs, especially in the more realistic seven-line case, which also considers the effects of the bottom and top layer aggressors. Also, the advantages of the MLGNR interconnects become more significant when the node shrinks from 10 to 7 nm. The crosstalk delays of normal, passively shielded, and actively shielded five-line MLGNRs at 7 nm are on average 49%, 56%, and 54% lower compared to their MWCNT counterparts, respectively. These improvements are 36%, 36%, and 41% regarding the power. Moreover, the normal and actively shielded MLGNRs have 25% and 72% smaller crosstalk noise area than their MWCNT counterparts, respectively. The smaller crosstalk noise for MLGNR leads to noise-free signals at the end of both actively and passively shielded victim lines in ternary logic at the 10 and 7 nm technologies.