Breakdown Current Density of Graphene Nano Ribbons

TL;DR

This paper characterizes the current-carrying capacity of graphene nanoribbons, revealing their high breakdown current density and thermal conductivity, with implications for on-chip electrical interconnects.

Contribution

It provides experimental data on the breakdown current density and thermal conductivity of sub-20 nm graphene nanoribbons, highlighting Joule heating as the breakdown mechanism.

Findings

Breakdown current density ~10^8 A/cm^2

Thermal conductivity >1000 W/m-K

Reciprocal relationship between resistivity and breakdown current

Abstract

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with widths down to 16 nm have been characterized for their current-carrying capacity. It is found that GNRs exhibit an impressive breakdown current density, on the order of 10^8 A/cm2. The breakdown current density is found to have a reciprocal relationship to GNR resistivity and the data fit points to Joule heating as the likely mechanism of breakdown. The superior current-carrying capacity of GNRs will be valuable for their application in on-chip electrical interconnects. The thermal conductivity of sub-20 nm graphene ribbons is found to be more than 1000 W/m-K.