Nanodot Systems Reliability Issues

Metal nanoparticle applications are proliferating in nanoelectronics, e.g. in single electron transistors, and in nanoelectronics packaging. Some applications will operate with only a single nanodot, others with a 1-D line of dots, more in regular or random 2-D discontinuous metal thin film (DMTF) arrays, or in the 3-D "cermet" variant, where the nanodots are encased in polymer or ceramic. DMTF fabrication relies upon weak substrate-absorbate adhesion to promote discrete island formation, which leads to long-term instability. A great deal of past experimental work on the stability of nanodot characteristics in DMTF applications is directly applicable to future nanoelectronics applications. The paper reviews known phenomena which can be expected to create reliability problems in nanodot-based nanoelectronic systems, places them in a packaging context, and outlines a research program to investigate reliable packaging needs for such structures.