Compact physical models for multiwall carbon-nanotube interconnects

Compact physical models are derived for conductivity of multiwall carbon-nanotube (MWCN) interconnects. It is proven that for MWCNs shorter than the critical length (typically around 7 μm), the conductivity decreases as diameter increases, whereas for MWCNs longer than the critical length, increasing the diameter results in higher conductivities. For long lengths (hundreds of micrometers), MWCNs can potentially have conductivities several times larger than that of copper or even single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCN) bundles. For short lengths (<10 μm), however, SWCN bundles offer more than two times higher conductivities compared to MWCNs.