Atomic size effects studied by transport in single silicide nanowires

Abstract

Ultrathin metallic silicide nanowires with extremely high aspect ratios can be easily grown, e.g., by deposition of rare earth elements on semiconducting surfaces. These wires play a pivotal role in fundamental research and open intriguing perspectives for CMOS applications. However, the electronic properties of these one-dimensional systems are extremely sensitive to atomic-sized defects, which easily alter the transport characteristics. In this study, we characterized comprehensively TbSi 2 wires grown on Si(100) and correlated details of the atomic structure with their electrical resistivities. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) as well as all transport experiments were performed in situ using a four-tip STM system. The measurements are complemented by local spectroscopy and density functional theory revealing that the silicide wires are electronically decoupled from the Si template. On the basis of a quasiclassical transport model, the size effect found for the resistivity is quantitatively explained in terms of bulk and surface transport channels considering details of atomic-scale roughness. Regarding future applications the full wealth of these robust nanostructures will emerge only if wires with truly atomically sharp interfaces can be reliably grown.

Formation of self-assembled Gd2O3nanowire-like structures during epitaxial growth on Si(001)

“…The formation of nanowires, nanowire-like structures and islands are well-known for metal silicides grown on silicon surfaces. [54][55][56][57][58][59] But the formation of nanowire-like structures during the growth of REOs on Si(001) consisting of oxides was not reported so far.…”

First-principles study of size-, surface- and mechanical strain-dependent electronic properties of wurtzite and zinc-blende InSb nanowires

“…Circles indicate two-coordinated atoms located at the boundaries of NW facets. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Ning et al [30] used DFT calculation to systematical investigate the quantum confinement effect on the electronic properties of InAs NWs with different orientations, found that the band structures are dependent on the NW size and orientations.…”

Квантовый Транспорт В Полупроводниковом Нанослое С Учетом Поверхностного Рассеяния Носителей Заряда

“…В металлических пленках могут быть осцилляции зависимостей проводимости от толщины с периодом, равным половине длины волны де Бройля носителя заряда [1][2][3]. В полупроводниковых пленках наблюдается резкое увеличение сопротивления при малых толщинах [4][5][6]. Имеется значительное количество теоретических работ, в которых для решения задач об электропроводности тонких пленок и проволок использовался стандартный кинетический метод [7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”