Design of nanocapacitors and associated materials challenges

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) projects that the spatial resolution of feature sizes in integrated circuits is rapidly approaching nanoscopic dimensions. Consequently, there is an active interest in the design of nanoscale circuit elements such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors. The properties of materials used to fabricate capacitors pose an important design factor, as with all circuit elements. We analyze the critical materials properties that would influence engineering nanocapacitors (nanoscopic capacitors), and show that at nanoscale, dielectric properties (dielectric constant, dielectric strength, and dielectric relaxation) determine the practicality of such capacitors.