Reduction 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 0.31mm2, 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. © 2006 IOP Publishing Ltd.
CITATION STYLE
Park, M., Cola, B. A., Siegmund, T., Xu, J., Maschmann, M. R., Fisher, T. S., & Kim, H. (2006). Effects of a carbon nanotube layer on electrical contact resistance between copper substrates. Nanotechnology, 17(9), 2294–2303. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/17/9/038
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