Metal-to-Multilayer-Graphene Contact—Part I: Contact Resistance Modeling

Parasitic components are becoming increasingly important with geometric scaling in nanoscale electronic devices and interconnects. The parasitic contact resistance between metal electrodes and multilayer graphene (MLG) is a key factor determining the performance of MLG-based structures in various applications. The available methods for characterizing metal–MLG contact interfaces rely on a model based on the top-contact structure, but it ignores the edge contacts that can greatly reduce the contact resistance. Therefore, in the present work, a rigorous theoretical 1-D model for metal–MLG contact is developed for the first time. The contribution of the major components of resistance—the top and edge contacts (side and end contacts) and the MLG sheet resistivity—to the total resistance of the structure is included in the model. The 1-D model is compared to a 3-D model of the system, and a method for investigation and optimization of the range of validity of the 1-D model is developed. The results of this work provide valuable insight to both the characterization and design of metal–MLG contacts.