{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/44720"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/44720","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Carbon nanotube processing and chemistry for electronic interconnect applications","abstract":"Carbon nanotubes possess many properties that are ideally suited for electronic applications, such as metallic/semiconducting behavior and ballistic transport. Specifically, in light of mounting concerns over the increasing resistivity of the state-of-the-art interconnect material, copper, and the associated rise in interconnect power consumption and delay, carbon nanotubes are seen as a potential candidate for a future interconnect material. However, current integrated circuit manufacturing processes are ill-equipped to deal with discrete nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes. In this thesis, several methods for the deposition and directed assembly of as-grown carbon nanotubes are examined. A metal/CNT-film structure is proposed as a relatively simple method to incorporate CNTs into an interconnect structure. Resistance comparisons between structures formed from films of Pd and randomly-aligned SWNTs and control Pd structures are highly variable, indicating that Pd/CNT processing techniques need significant refinement. However, comparisons between structures fabricated with films of randomly-aligned SWNTs and Pd control resistors show that randomly-aligned SWNT films are not competitive with pure metal structures, due to the low packing density and alignment inherent to these films. Finally, a covalent chemical CNT functionalization method to improve CNT handling without degradation in electronic conductivity is examined. SWNTs functionalized with this conductance-preserving carbene-CNT reaction, first reported by Lee et al [1], show resistance about an order of magnitude higher than unfunctionalized SWNTs but also an order of magnitude lower than SWNTs functionalized via a more typical covalent chemistry. In addition, evidence for controllable Fermi level shifting is seen for carbene-functionalized SWNTs, with shifts of up to 100 mV observed, and varying depending on the extent of functionalization and type of carbene group used.","abstract_html":"Carbon nanotubes possess many properties that are ideally suited for electronic applications, such as metallic/semiconducting behavior and ballistic transport. Specifically, in light of mounting concerns over the increasing resistivity of the state-of-the-art interconnect material, copper, and the associated rise in interconnect power consumption and delay, carbon nanotubes are seen as a potential candidate for a future interconnect material. However, current integrated circuit manufacturing processes are ill-equipped to deal with discrete nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes. In this thesis, several methods for the deposition and directed assembly of as-grown carbon nanotubes are examined. A metal/CNT-film structure is proposed as a relatively simple method to incorporate CNTs into an interconnect structure. Resistance comparisons between structures formed from films of Pd and randomly-aligned SWNTs and control Pd structures are highly variable, indicating that Pd/CNT processing techniques need significant refinement. However, comparisons between structures fabricated with films of randomly-aligned SWNTs and Pd control resistors show that randomly-aligned SWNT films are not competitive with pure metal structures, due to the low packing density and alignment inherent to these films. Finally, a covalent chemical CNT functionalization method to improve CNT handling without degradation in electronic conductivity is examined. SWNTs functionalized with this conductance-preserving carbene-CNT reaction, first reported by Lee et al [1], show resistance about an order of magnitude higher than unfunctionalized SWNTs but also an order of magnitude lower than SWNTs functionalized via a more typical covalent chemistry. In addition, evidence for controllable Fermi level shifting is seen for carbene-functionalized SWNTs, with shifts of up to 100 mV observed, and varying depending on the extent of functionalization and type of carbene group used.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wu, Tan Mau, 1979-"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Francesco Stellacci."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008","date_published":"2008","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:02Z","subjects":["Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/44720","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Francesco Stellacci."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/44720"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2008.","Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-221)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Carbon nanotubes possess many properties that are ideally suited for electronic applications, such as metallic/semiconducting behavior and ballistic transport. Specifically, in light of mounting concerns over the increasing resistivity of the state-of-the-art interconnect material, copper, and the associated rise in interconnect power consumption and delay, carbon nanotubes are seen as a potential candidate for a future interconnect material. However, current integrated circuit manufacturing processes are ill-equipped to deal with discrete nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes. In this thesis, several methods for the deposition and directed assembly of as-grown carbon nanotubes are examined. A metal/CNT-film structure is proposed as a relatively simple method to incorporate CNTs into an interconnect structure. Resistance comparisons between structures formed from films of Pd and randomly-aligned SWNTs and control Pd structures are highly variable, indicating that Pd/CNT processing techniques need significant refinement. However, comparisons between structures fabricated with films of randomly-aligned SWNTs and Pd control resistors show that randomly-aligned SWNT films are not competitive with pure metal structures, due to the low packing density and alignment inherent to these films. Finally, a covalent chemical CNT functionalization method to improve CNT handling without degradation in electronic conductivity is examined. SWNTs functionalized with this conductance-preserving carbene-CNT reaction, first reported by Lee et al [1], show resistance about an order of magnitude higher than unfunctionalized SWNTs but also an order of magnitude lower than SWNTs functionalized via a more typical covalent chemistry. In addition, evidence for controllable Fermi level shifting is seen for carbene-functionalized SWNTs, with shifts of up to 100 mV observed, and varying depending on the extent of functionalization and type of carbene group used."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Carbon nanotube processing and chemistry for electronic interconnect applications"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Francesco Stellacci."],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"dc:contributor.other":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"dc:creator":["Wu, Tan Mau, 1979-"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2009-03-16T19:34:12Z"],"dc:date.available":["2009-03-16T19:34:12Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2008"],"dc:description":["Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2008.","Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-221)."],"dc:description.abstract":["Carbon nanotubes possess many properties that are ideally suited for electronic applications, such as metallic/semiconducting behavior and ballistic transport. Specifically, in light of mounting concerns over the increasing resistivity of the state-of-the-art interconnect material, copper, and the associated rise in interconnect power consumption and delay, carbon nanotubes are seen as a potential candidate for a future interconnect material. However, current integrated circuit manufacturing processes are ill-equipped to deal with discrete nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes. In this thesis, several methods for the deposition and directed assembly of as-grown carbon nanotubes are examined. A metal/CNT-film structure is proposed as a relatively simple method to incorporate CNTs into an interconnect structure. Resistance comparisons between structures formed from films of Pd and randomly-aligned SWNTs and control Pd structures are highly variable, indicating that Pd/CNT processing techniques need significant refinement. However, comparisons between structures fabricated with films of randomly-aligned SWNTs and Pd control resistors show that randomly-aligned SWNT films are not competitive with pure metal structures, due to the low packing density and alignment inherent to these films. Finally, a covalent chemical CNT functionalization method to improve CNT handling without degradation in electronic conductivity is examined. SWNTs functionalized with this conductance-preserving carbene-CNT reaction, first reported by Lee et al [1], show resistance about an order of magnitude higher than unfunctionalized SWNTs but also an order of magnitude lower than SWNTs functionalized via a more typical covalent chemistry. In addition, evidence for controllable Fermi level shifting is seen for carbene-functionalized SWNTs, with shifts of up to 100 mV observed, and varying depending on the extent of functionalization and type of carbene group used."],"dc:description.degree":["Ph.D."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/44720"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"dc:title":["Carbon nanotube processing and chemistry for electronic interconnect applications"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:02Z"}