Wetting Transition for Carbon Nanotube Arrays under Metal Contacts

V. Perebeinos and J. Tersoff
Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 085501 – Published 27 February 2015

Abstract

Structural arrays with nanoscale spacing arise in many device concepts. Carbon nanotube transistors are an extreme example, where a practical technology will require arrays of parallel nanotubes with spacing of order 10 nm or less. We show that with decreasing pitch there is a first-order transition, from a robust structure in which the metal wets the substrate between tubes, to a poorly wetting structure in which the metal rides atop the nanotube array without touching the substrate. The latter is analogous to the superhydrophobic “lotus leaf effect.” There is a sharp minimum in the delamination energy of metal contacts at the transition pitch. We discuss implications for contact resistance and possible mitigation strategies.

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  • Received 9 November 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.085501

© 2015 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

V. Perebeinos and J. Tersoff*

  • IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, USA

  • *tersoff@us.ibm.com
  • Present address: Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 100 Novaya Street, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025 Russia.

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Vol. 114, Iss. 8 — 27 February 2015

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