Size-Dependent Grain-Boundary Scattering in Topological Semimetals

We assess the viability of topological semimetals for application in advanced interconnect technology, where conductor size is on order a few nanometers and grain boundaries are expected to be prevalent. investigate electron transport properties boundary scattering thin films CoSi CoGe using first-principles calculations combined with Non-Equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) technique. Unlike conventional metals like Cu Al, we find that conduct primarily through topologically-protected surface states film structures even presence boundaries. The area-normalized resistance decreases decreasing thickness both without boundaries; trend opposite Al. surface-dominated mechanisms demonstrates fundamentally new paradigm classical resistivity size-effect, suggests these materials may promising candidates applications as nano-interconnects high electrical acts major bottleneck limiting semiconductor device performance.