Misfit dislocation free InAs/GaSb core-shell nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy.

In this report, we present the growth and structural analyses of broken gap InAs/GaSb core-shell nanowires by molecular beam epitaxy using an Au-free approach. Depending on the shell growth temperature, two distinct growth regimes for the GaSb shells are identified resulting in conformal or tapered shells. Morphological analyses reveal a dodecagonal nanowire cross-section after GaSb shell growth. Detailed transmission electron microscope investigations from different zone axes confirm that the small lattice mismatch of 0.6% allows the deposition of 40 nm thick GaSb shells free of misfit dislocations. Additionally, an abrupt interface from InAs to GaSb is found. These nanowires are suitable for future devices such as TFETs.

Crystallization of HfO2 in InAs/HfO2 core-shell nanowires.

We report the impact of deposition parameters on the structure of HfO(2) covering InAs nanowires (NWs) being potential candidates for future field-effect transistors (FETs). Molecular beam epitaxial-grown Au-free InAs NWs were covered with HfO(2) deposited by atomic-layer deposition. The impact of the film thickness as well as the deposition temperature on the occurrence and amount of crystalline HfO(2) regions was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction. Compared to the deposition on planar Si substrates, the formation probability of crystalline HfO(2) on InAs NWs is significantly enhanced. Here, even 3 nm thick films deposited at 250 °C are partly crystalline. Similarly, a low deposition temperature of 125 °C does not result in completely amorphous 10 nm thick HfO(2) films, they contain monoclinic as well as orthorhombic HfO(2) nanocrystals. Combining HfO(2) and Al(2)O(3) into a laminate structure is capable of suppressing the formation of crystalline HfO2 grains.

Gate-induced transition between metal-type and thermally activated transport in self-catalyzed MBE-grown InAs nanowires.

Electronic transport properties of InAs nanowires are studied systematically. The nanowires are grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a SiOx-covered GaAs wafer, without using foreign catalyst particles. Room-temperature measurements revealed relatively high resistivity and low carrier concentration values, which correlate with the low background doping obtained by our growth method. Transport parameters, such as resistivity, mobility, and carrier concentration, show a relatively large spread that is attributed to variations in surface conditions. For some nanowires the conductivity has a metal-type dependence on temperature, i.e. decreasing with decreasing temperature, while other nanowires show the opposite temperature behavior, i.e. temperature-activated characteristics. An applied gate voltage in a field-effect transistor configuration can switch between the two types of behavior. The effect is explained by the presence of barriers formed by potential fluctuations.

Self-catalyzed VLS grown InAs nanowires with twinning superlattices.

We report on the self-catalyzed growth of InAs nanowires by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates covered by a thin silicon oxide layer. Clear evidence is presented to demonstrate that, under our experimental conditions, the growth takes place by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism via an In droplet. The nanowire growth rate is controlled by the arsenic pressure while the diameter depends mainly on the In rate. The contact angle of the In droplet is smaller than that of the Ga droplet involved in the growth of GaAs nanowires, resulting in much lower growth rates. The crystal structure of the VLS grown InAs nanowires is zinc blende with regularly spaced rotational twins forming a twinning superlattice.

Realization of nanoscaled tubular conductors by means of GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowires.

We investigated the transport properties of GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Owing to the band alignment between GaAs and InAs, electrons are accumulated in the InAs shell as long as the shell thickness exceeds 12 nm. By performing simulations using a Schrödinger-Poisson solver, it is confirmed that confined states are present in the InAs shell, which are depleted if the shell thickness is below a threshold value. The existence of a tubular-shaped conductor is proved by performing magnetoconductance measurements at low temperatures. Here, flux periodic conductance oscillations are observed which can be attributed to transport in one-dimensional channels based on angular momentum states.

Electronic phase coherence in InAs nanowires.

Magnetotransport measurements at low temperatures have been performed on InAs nanowires grown by In-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Information on the electron phase coherence is obtained from universal conductance fluctuations measured in a perpendicular magnetic field. By analysis of the universal conductance fluctuations pattern of a series of nanowires of different length, the phase-coherence length could be determined quantitatively. Furthermore, indications of a pronounced flux cancelation effect were found, which is attributed to the topology of the nanowire. Additionally, we present measurements in a parallel configuration between wire and magnetic field. In contrast to previous results on InN and InAs nanowires, we do not find periodic oscillations of the magnetoconductance in this configuration. An explanation of this behavior is suggested in terms of the high density of stacking faults present in our InAs wires.

Gate-controlled quantum collimation in nanocolumn resonant tunneling transistors.

Nanoscaled resonant tunneling transistors (RTT) based on MBE-grown GaAs/AlAs double-barrier quantum well (DBQW) structures have been fabricated by a top-down approach using electron-beam lithographic definition of the vertical nanocolumns. In the preparation process, a reproducible mask alignment accuracy of below 10 nm has been achieved and the all-around metal gate at the level of the DBQW structure has been positioned at a distance of about 20 nm relative to the semiconductor nanocolumn. Due to the specific doping profile n++/i/n++ along the transistor nanocolumn, a particular confining potential is established for devices with diameters smaller than 70 nm, which causes a collimation effect of the propagating electrons. Under these conditions, room temperature optimum performance of the nano-RTTs is achieved with peak-to-valley current ratios above 2 and a peak current swing factor of about 6 for gate voltages between -6 and +6 V. These values indicate that our nano-RTTs can be successfully used in low power fast nanoelectronic circuits.