An ultra-energy-efficient crosstalk-immune interconnect architecture based on multilayer graphene nanoribbons for deep-nanometer technologies

An ultra-energy-efficient interconnect structure based on multilayer graphene nanoribbon (MLGNR) interconnects for deep-nanometer technologies is proposed herein. First, a low-swing interconnect based on MLGNRs and high-performance interface circuits using carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) is proposed. Then, an ultra-energy-efficient interconnect structure is obtained by actively shielding such low-swing lines. The structures under study are simulated comprehensively at the 7-nm technology node. The results indicate that the MLGNR interconnect is significantly more energy efficient than its multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) counterpart in the low-voltage regime. Moreover, the proposed approach is superior to its MLGNR counterparts. The proposed structure leads to 86%, 75%, and 31% lower energy consumption over a length of 500 µm as compared with the typical, actively shielded, and low-swing MLGNR interconnects, respectively. Moreover, the impact of the ratio of the widths of the signal line to the shield line on the performance of the interconnects is evaluated. The energy consumption reduction achieved by the proposed approach is mostly preserved even when using minimum-width shield lines on wider signal lines to reduce the area overhead. Moreover, the impact of process variations on the performance of the interconnects is assessed using Monte Carlo simulations, demonstrating the robustness of the proposed approach.