Searching for materials for next-generation on-chip interconnects

Modern integrated circuits use Cu interconnects to connect logic and memory components. For the latest technology nodes and beyond, the resistivity of Cu interconnects at extremely scaled dimensions is too high to guarantee energy-efficient and fast computation. This long-recognized interconnect challenge can potentially be solved by replacing Cu, a trivial metal, with topological semimetals (TSMs) discovered over the last decade. Contrary to early beliefs that topological materials are rare, over half of all known compounds are predicted to contain topologically protected states. Thus, topological materials present immense opportunities for next-generation microelectronic applications. This Perspective discusses current missing gaps in materials physics, the critical steps to quickly fill these gaps, and the research approaches to translate fundamental advances in TSMs into deployed interconnect technologies. It includes insights from theoretical, experimental, and industry research conducted over the past several years.