A Novel Unified Model for Copper and MLGNR Interconnects using Voltage and Current-Mode Signaling Schemes

Abstract

A novel unified model, for conventional copper and futuristic multilayer graphene nanoribbon (MLGNR) interconnects, based on a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique has been proposed in this paper. The performance of quasi-transverse electromagnetic model of interconnects has been exhaustively analyzed for both voltage-mode signaling (VMS) and current-mode signaling (CMS) schemes. The effect of variations in edge roughness and dopant dependent Fermi energy in MLGNR interconnects has been examined. The crosstalk and coupling effects in interconnects have been investigated by incorporating capacitive and inductive interconnect parasitic elements. From the results carried out for 32-nm technology node, it has been observed that for similar dimensions and operating conditions, MLGNR interconnects show a significant performance improvement over the copper interconnects. The results also show that the CMS scheme outperforms VMS scheme at global wire lengths and is very suitable for state-of-the-art chip applications. The proposed model results are in close propinquity with the SPICE results. Furthermore, the FDTD-based model is computationally efficient compared to SPICE.