Nano-second time resolved investigations on thermal implications of high-field transport through MWCNTs

Abstract

The high-current carrying capacity of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) is the central idea behind their possible applications as interconnects. Joule-heating due to transport of high current through constricted quasi-1D electron channel results in various temperature-driven phenomena. Two such phenomena are current annealing and irreversible breakdown, which play vital roles in deciding electron transport and interconnect reliability, respectively. These phenomena occur at the time scale of 1–100 ns and hence cannot be precisely captured by conventional steady-state or DC measurement techniques. In this work, we explore these two phenomena by investigating electro-thermal transport through the inner and outer shells of MWCNTs, both suspended and substrate-supported, at the time scale of nano-seconds.