Electronic Transport and Quantum Phenomena in Nanowires

Abstract

Nanowires are natural one-dimensional channels and offer new opportunities for advanced electronic quantum transport experiments. We review recent progress on the synthesis of nanowires and methods for the fabrication of hybrid semiconductor/ superconductor systems. We discuss methods to characterize their electronic properties in the context of possible future applications such as topological and spin qubits. We focus on group III−V (InAs and InSb) and group IV (Ge/Si) semiconductors, since these are the most developed, and give an outlook on other potential materials.

An analytical-atomistic model for elastic behavior of silicon nanowires

“…Silicon nanowires (Si NWs) exhibit a distinctive set of properties enabling their use in applications such as sensing, energy conversion and communication [1][2][3]. Compared to other one-dimensional nanostructures, the ease of their integration and miniaturization due to their compatibility with semiconductor manufacturing puts Si NWs in a unique position to serve as the main transducer building block in nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and nanoelectronic devices [4][5][6][7][8].…”

Shadowed versus Etched Superconductor–Semiconductor Junctions in Al/InAs Nanowires

“…Semiconductor-superconductor hybrid nanowires are a promising fundamental unit in emerging research topics such as gate-tunable Josephson junctions in gatemons and Andreev qubits, topological superconductivity and electron entanglement. − Implementing these structures in devices typically requires extensive postgrowth processing which may compromise device performance. Generally hybrid nanostructures are integrated into devices by removing parts of the superconductor by selective wet etching. − Recent alternative approaches deploy a technique of shadowing superconductors in situ either by as-grown structures − or by growing the nanostructures on a substrate with predefined shadow masks. − These studies provide enticing prospects for devices manufactured entirely in situ, however, the quality of the semiconductor surface in relation to ex situ shell removal and its effects on device performance remains unclear.…”