Surface polariton scattering for charge transport and heat management in carbon-based heterogeneous electronics: Problem or solution?

With increasing importance of non-Si electronics for the future generations of digital and analog devices the questions of ultimate performance limits and reliability of new electronic materials become critical. In the paper we review a particular case of heterogeneous carbon-based electronics. We assume that the nanotube material is combined with the materials of the standard Si-technology. Interface of the nanotubes or graphene with oxides presents, as we demonstrate below, a significant source of inelastic surface scattering. Hot electrons release the energy by emitting surface polaritons with the scattering rate of the order of ten fs. Such a fast mechanism, dominating scattering in the heterogeneous electronics devices, should determine (i) low-field mobility at room temperature, (ii) saturation currents in the high-power regime and (iii) thermal coupling to the substrate, discussed here in details. Such thermal coupling is explained below in terms of large QED Kapitsa conductance. Good thermal properties of carbon hetero-interfaces with Si and high-k oxides are promising for efficient heat dissipation and thermal management.