Optimization of suspended graphene NEMS devices for electrostatic discharge applications

As IC technologies continue scaling down, traditional electrostatic discharge (ESD) devices can no longer meet the demands of modern protection, prompting the need for novel device structures. A novel and unique approach to ESD protection using suspended graphene ribbon devices is presented. It has been demonstrated the ribbon's electro-mechanical response to a sudden surge of charge, such as an ESD event, can be tuned by changing the ribbon and device geometry. This not only simplifies device design but also allows us to fulfill critical ESD parameters with an almost zero leakage current. Reliability issues involving the pull-in voltage and ribbon/device's geometric design are addressed. Furthermore, a new method of measuring graphene's yield stress was developed. The yield stress of polycrystalline CVD graphene was found to be lower than reported values for pristine single crystalline graphene, supporting and adding to the limited number of studies in the literature. Our results show how fundamental understanding of the coupled electromechanical response of graphene could lead to direct impact on Si integrated circuit technology.