Semiconductor nanowires show promise for application in nanoscale electronics, but the difficulty of forming low-resistance ohmic contacts provides a challenge to their implementation. To improve the electrical performance of lithographically defined nickel contacts, nickel-silicide/ silicon axial nanowire heterostructures were formed by controlled partial silicidation. Prior to annealing, two-terminal silicon nanowire devices had nonlinear and asymmetric current-voltage behavior indicative of poor electrical contacts. After the formation of heterostructure contacts, nanowire devices carried increased current, pointing to reduced contact resistance, and a larger fraction of nanowire devices exhibited linear current-voltage characteristics. A study of the silicidation kinetics revealed a linear growth rate of 0.2 μm/min, suggesting the rate may be limited by the silicidation reaction at the interface.

Last modified

• 07/23/2018

Creator

• Lincoln J. Lauhon
• Phillip T. Barton
• Shixiong Zhang

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/N2QH7V

Keyword

• Volume 6

Date created

• 2009

Resource type

• Article

Rights statement

• In Copyright