Vertical assembly of carbon nanotubes for via interconnects

The via interconnects are key components in ultra-large scale integrated circuits (ULSI). This paper deals with a new method to create single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) via interconnects using alternating dielectrophoresis (DEP). Carbon nanotubes are vertically assembled in the microscale via-holes successfully at room temperature under ambient condition. The electrical evaluation of the SWNT vias reveals that our DEP assembly technique is highly reliable and the success rate of assembly can be as high as 90%. We also propose and test possible approaches to reducing the contact resistance between CNT vias and metal electrodes.