Carbon Nanotube Interconnects Realized through Functionalization and Sintered Silver Attachment

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offer unique high-temperature capabilities for interconnect applications.
• Existing interconnect solutions often fail at elevated temperatures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel transfer process for creating high-temperature, high-conductivity interconnects using CNTs and sintered silver.
• To demonstrate the electrical performance and thermal stability of these novel interconnects.

Main Methods:

• Vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were grown on silicon substrates via low-temperature photothermal chemical vapor deposition.
• Oxygen plasma treatment functionalized MWCNT surfaces for palladium (Pd) adhesion.
• Pd-coated MWCNTs were bonded to a copper substrate using nanoparticle silver.

Main Results:

• Silver-CNT-silver interconnects exhibited ohmic conductivity with a resistivity of 6.2 × 10⁻⁴ Ωm.
• The interconnects maintained electrical performance when heated above 300°C, a temperature at which conventional solders typically fail.
• The developed process offers a potentially flexible interconnect solution.

Conclusions:

• The novel silver-CNT-silver interconnects provide a robust solution for high-temperature electronic applications.
• This technology overcomes the limitations of traditional solders in extreme thermal environments.
• The developed transfer process enables the creation of high-performance, potentially flexible interconnects.