Graphene nano-ribbon (GNR) interconnects: A genuine contender or a delusive dream?

This paper presents a comprehensive conductance and delay analysis of graphene nano-ribbon (GNR) interconnects. The conductance model of GNR is derived using a simple tight binding model and the linear response Landauer formula. Several GNR structures are examined, and the conductance among them and other interconnect materials (copper, tungsten and carbon nanotubes) is compared. Impact of different model parameters (mean free path, Fermi level and edge specularity) on the conductance is discussed. An RLC equivalent circuit model is defined to analyze both global and local GNR interconnect delays. The results reveal that till the very end of ITRS'07 roadmap, GNRs cannot match the performance of global level copper or SWCNTs, unless multiple layers along with proper intercalation doping is used and specular nano-ribbon edge is achieved. However, multi-layer zigzag edged GNRs (zz-GNRs) can be comparable to copper at the local level, and can have much better performance than that of tungsten, implying possible application as local interconnects.