Investigation of the Effect of Thermal-Induced Atomic Motion on the Conductance of Copper Thin Films

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Chen, Sihe, Batzinger, Kevin, Smeu, Manuel
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Chen, Sihe
Batzinger, Kevin
Smeu, Manuel
author_facet Chen, Sihe
Batzinger, Kevin
Smeu, Manuel
contents Decrease in the size of integrated circuits (IC) and metal interconnects raise resistivity due the amplification of electron scattering effects, which decreases the efficiency of chiplets. While previous studies have investigated the electron scattering due to a roughened surface, the effect of thermal induced atomic motion on the roughened surface remains unclear. To address this gap, we investigated electron transport in pristine and roughened Cu thin films by performing \textit{ab initio} molecular dynamics (AIMD) trajectories over 20~ps at temperatures of 218~K, 300~K, and 540~K on Cu thin film models, and then calculating the electron transport properties of the resulting snapshots at 100-fs intervals for the last 10~ps using the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism in combination with density functional theory (NEGF-DFT). As expected, higher temperatures induce larger atomic displacement from their equilibrium positions and increase atomic layer separation. We also find that increase in temperature results in increased resistance (lower conductance) for the pristine film, but less so for the roughened thin film where the surface roughness itself is the main source of resistance. This study provides insights into how pristine and roughened Cu thin films behave under thermal conditions, helping researchers design better treatments to mitigate thermal effects in ICs and their metal interconnects.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_05349
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Investigation of the Effect of Thermal-Induced Atomic Motion on the Conductance of Copper Thin Films
Chen, Sihe
Batzinger, Kevin
Smeu, Manuel
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Decrease in the size of integrated circuits (IC) and metal interconnects raise resistivity due the amplification of electron scattering effects, which decreases the efficiency of chiplets. While previous studies have investigated the electron scattering due to a roughened surface, the effect of thermal induced atomic motion on the roughened surface remains unclear. To address this gap, we investigated electron transport in pristine and roughened Cu thin films by performing \textit{ab initio} molecular dynamics (AIMD) trajectories over 20~ps at temperatures of 218~K, 300~K, and 540~K on Cu thin film models, and then calculating the electron transport properties of the resulting snapshots at 100-fs intervals for the last 10~ps using the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism in combination with density functional theory (NEGF-DFT). As expected, higher temperatures induce larger atomic displacement from their equilibrium positions and increase atomic layer separation. We also find that increase in temperature results in increased resistance (lower conductance) for the pristine film, but less so for the roughened thin film where the surface roughness itself is the main source of resistance. This study provides insights into how pristine and roughened Cu thin films behave under thermal conditions, helping researchers design better treatments to mitigate thermal effects in ICs and their metal interconnects.
title Investigation of the Effect of Thermal-Induced Atomic Motion on the Conductance of Copper Thin Films
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.05349