Abstract:
Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors play an important part in many integrated electronic circuits in the areas of
analog, microwave, and radio frequency systems. However the transverse dimensions of current MIM capacitors are in
the micrometer scale. If integrated circuits continue to be miniaturized, the capacitor, alongside other components, must
also be miniaturized to realize nanoelectronic circuits and systems. This article presents a novel device, the
nanocapacitor, of which the dimensions are constrained to nanoscale in longitudinal and transverse directions, and
discusses the effects of material properties on their operation. In particular, this work discusses the effects of dielectric
constant, dielectric strength, and quantum electrical phenomena on achieving relatively high capacitances and
capacitance densities in nanocapacitors.
