Making connections
US researchers have shown that graphene has a current-carrying capacity approximately a thousand times greater than copper.
Recent research into the properties of graphene nanoribbons has provided two new reasons for using the material as interconnects in future computer chips.
In widths as narrow as 16nm, graphene has a current-carrying capacity approximately a thousand times greater than copper, while providing improved thermal conductivity.
The current-carrying and heat-transfer measurements were reported by a team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The same team had previously reported measurements of resistivity in graphene that suggest the material's conductance would outperform that of copper in future generations of nanometre-scale interconnects.
Raghunath Murali, a senior research engineer in Georgia Tech's Nanotechnology Research Center, said: 'Graphene nanoribbons exhibit an impressive breakdown current density that is related to the resistivity. Our measurements show that these graphene nanoribbons have a current-carrying capacity at least two orders of magnitude higher than copper at these scales.'
The unique properties of graphene – which is composed of thin layers of graphite – make it attractive for a wide range of potential electronic devices.
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