Thermally Aware Performance Analysis of Mixed Carbon Nanotube Based VLSI Interconnects

Abstract

Nowadays, excessive technology scaling in the deep sub-micron (DSM) regime allows the newlineintegration of immense functions on a single chip. As a result of excessive scaling, copper-based newlineon-chip interconnect performance degrades, thus necessitating the search for an alternative newlinesuitable material for future nano interconnects. For the next generation of interconnects, the newlinepotential material should be capable of manifesting minimized propagation delay, power newlinedissipation, and the effects of functional as well as dynamic crosstalk in the coupled newlineinterconnects. newlineThe current work aims to find the best material possible for making future generation newlineinterconnects which provide better performance by eliminating coupling effects between newlineadjoining interconnects. newlineThe most befitting material has turned out to be carbon-based interconnects such as CNT and newlineGNR. In the present work, a realistic CNT bundle such as mixed CNT (m-CNT) bundle made newlineup of both single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) newlinewith different placements is considered for performance analysis under temperature as an newlineobligatory component. newlineA temperature-dependent crosstalk model based on ABCD parameter matrix along with newlinedecoupling technology, with application of driver interconnect load (DIL) in coupled m-CNT newlinebundle (MCB) interconnects is taken. A study is carried out at 14nm technology node to examine newlinethe effects of irradiation-induced defects on MCB interconnects by considering tunneling and newlineinter-shell capacitances in an equivalent capacitance model over a temperature range from 300K newlineto 500K. In addition, the performance of capacitively coupled interconnects of MCB has also newlinebeen discussed and compared with copper interconnects in terms of propagation delay, power newlinedissipation, crosstalk induced noise voltage, and frequency spectrum. The propagation delay of newlinethe four different structures of MCB, e.g. S1, S2, S3 and S4 (aka ST-1, ST-2, ST-3 and ST-4,