Myounggu Park et al 2006 Nanotechnology 17 2294 doi:10.1088/0957-4484/17/9/038
Myounggu Park1, Baratunde A Cola2, Thomas Siegmund2, Jun Xu2, Matthew R Maschmann2, Timothy S Fisher2 and Hyonny Kim1,3
Show affiliationsReduction of contact resistance is demonstrated at Cu–Cu interfaces using a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) layer as an electrically conductive interfacial material. The MWCNTs are grown on a copper substrate using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) with nickel as the catalyst material, and methane and hydrogen as feed gases. The MWCNTs showed random growth directions and had a bamboo-like structure. Contact resistance and reaction force were measured for a bare Cu–Cu interface and a Cu–MWCNT–Cu interface as a function of probe position. For an apparent contact area of 0.31 mm2, an 80% reduction in contact resistance was observed when the MWCNT layer was used. Resistance decreased with increasing contact force, thereby making it possible to use this arrangement as a small-scale force sensor. Also, the Cu–MWCNT–Cu interface was roughly two times stiffer than the bare Cu–Cu interface. Contact area enlargement and van der Waals interactions are identified as important contributors to the contact resistance reduction and stiffness increase. A model based on compaction of the MWCNT layer is presented and found to be capable of predicting resistance change over the range of measured force.
73.40.Cg Contact resistance, contact potential
73.40.Ns Metal-nonmetal contacts
81.15.Gh Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced CVD, MOCVD, etc.)
Issue 9 (14 May 2006)
Received 3 January 2006
Published 7 April 2006
Myounggu Park et al 2006 Nanotechnology 17 2294
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