Ternary carbide and nitride MAX phases as conductors in interconnect metal lines in advanced CMOS technology nodes
Ab initio screening of metallic MAX ceramics for advanced interconnect applications
The potential of a wide range of layered ternary carbide and nitride maxphases as conductors in interconnect metal lines in advanced cmos technologynodes has been evaluated using automated first principles simulations based on density functional theory.The resistivity scaling potential of these compounds, i.e.The sensitivity of their resistivity to reduced linedimensions, has been benchmarked against cu and ru by evaluating their transport properties within a semiclassical transport formalism.In addition, their cohesive energy has been assessed as a proxy for the resistance againstelectromigration and the need for diffusion barriers.The results indicate that numerous ternary carbide and nitride phases show promise as conductors in interconnects of advanced cmos technology nodes.
