Current-induced breakdown of carbon nanofibers for interconnect applications

Current-induced breakdown phenomena of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) for future on-chip interconnect applications are presented. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques are developed to study the structural damage by current stress, including in situ electrical measurement with STEM, and sample-preparation-free STEM imaging. The analysis shows that the breakdown occurs along graphitic layers comprising the CNF and that the maximum current density has strong correlation with electrical resistivity. The effect of heat dissipation into the underlying substrate is also studied using different experimental configurations.