Investigation of horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes for efficient power delivery in 3D ICs

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) due their unique mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties are being investigated as promising candidate material for on-chip and off-chip interconnects. The attractive mechanical properties of CNTs, including high Youngs modulus, resiliency and low thermal expansion coefficient offer great advantage for reliable and strong interconnects, and even more so for 3D integration. Through-Silicon-Vias (TSVs) enable 3D integration and implementation of denser, faster and heterogeneous circuits, which also lead to excessive power densities and elevated temperatures. Due to their unique properties, CNTs present an opportunity to address these challenges and provide solutions for reliable 3D integration. In this work, we perform detailed analyses of horizontally aligned CNTs and report on their efficiency to be exploited for 3D power delivery networks.