Resumen de Electromagnetic models for metallic carbon nanotube interconnects

Andrea Gaetano Chiariello, Giovanni Miano, Antonio Maffucci, Fabio Villone, Walter Zamboni

• Purpose – To investigate the possible application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as interconnects and antennas.

  Design/methodology/approach – An electromagnetic macroscopic modelling of CNT is derived. The conduction electrons of the nanotube are considered as a 2D fluid moving on the surface representing the positive ion lattice. The linearized Euler's equation describing the fluid motion is used as a macroscopic constitutive relationship to be coupled to Maxwell's equation. A surface integral formulation coupled to the fluid model is solved numerically using a finite element method. For peculiar configurations, transmission line‐like parameters of CNTs are derived.

  Findings – Single wall CNT interconnects, due to the high resistance and characteristic impedance with respect to ideally scaled silicon technology, should be used in arrays and bundles.

  Research limitations/implications – Only single wall CNTs are considered.

  Originality/value – The paper present a novel approach to CNTs and provides a comparison among the behaviour of CNTs with respect to ideally‐scaled silicon technology.