Abstract
As the elements of integrated circuits are downsized to the nanoscale, the current Cu-based interconnects are facing limitations due to increased resistivity and decreased current-carrying capacity because of scaling. Here, the bottom-up synthesis of single-crystalline WTe(2) nanobelts and low- and high-field electrical characterization of nanoscale interconnect test structures in various ambient conditions are reported. Unlike exfoliated flakes obtained by the top-down approach, the bottom-up growth mode of WTe(2) nanobelts allows systemic characterization of the electrical properties of WTe(2) single crystals as a function of channel dimensions. Using a 1D heat transport model and a power law, it is determined that the breakdown of WTe(2) devices under vacuum and with AlO (x) capping layer follows an ideal pattern for Joule heating, far from edge scattering. High-field electrical measurements and self-heating modeling demonstrate that the WTe(2) nanobelts have a breakdown current density approaching ≈100 MA cm(-2), remarkably higher than those of conventional metals and other transition-metal chalcogenides, and sustain the highest electrical power per channel length (≈16.4 W cm(-1)) among the interconnect candidates. The results suggest superior robustness of WTe(2) against high-bias sweep and its possible applicability in future nanoelectronics.