Electro-thermal modeling and reliability analysis of Cu–carbon hybrid interconnects for beyond-CMOS computing

Abstract

A Cu–carbon hybrid interconnect was recently proposed as an alternate interconnect structure for future VLSI applications because of its superior electrical performance over its counterparts. This study focuses on the electro-thermal aspects of Cu–carbon hybrid interconnects to be adopted as a potential replacement of copper as the back-end-of-line (BEOL) interconnect material. Cu–carbon hybrid shows promise in terms of electro-thermal efficiency when compared to copper as well as other suggested hybrid materials. The maximum temperature attained by the Cu–carbon hybrid interconnect is less than copper by 16%, and its mean time to failure is improved by 96%. Uniform distribution of heat can be observed in the Cu–carbon hybrid BEOL in addition to low temperature rise as compared to the copper based BEOL. These analyses strengthen the claim of Cu–carbon hybrid interconnects to be a worthier possibility for electro-thermal efficient nanoscale systems.