Simulation and Validation of CNT Mechanical Properties - The Future Interconnection Material

The notable material properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with ballistic electrical transport, ultrahigh Young's modulus and thermal conductivity made them very attractive for microelectronic interconnections, thermal management and nanoscale device applications. This paper will focus on the analysis of mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). In our research, the atomistic-continuum mechanics (ACM) was applied to investigate the mechanical properties of SWCNTs. By establishing a linkage between structural mechanics and molecular mechanics, not only the Young's moduli could be obtained but also the modal analysis could be achieved. In addition, according to atomistic-continuum mechanics and finite element method, an effective atomistic-continuum model is constructed to investigate the above two mechanical properties of SWCNTs with affordable computational time by personal computers. The validity of the results is demonstrated by comparing them with existing results. Furthermore, the ACM could provide an efficient method in the analysis of mechanical properties of the CNTs-refined electronic packaging structure.