Anisotropy of the conductivity of silicon nanowires

ABSTRACT

This study reports the findings from an investigation into charge carrier transport within a silicon nanowire layer. The samples were prepared using the metal-assisted chemical etching method applied to crystalline silicon wafers with a resistance of 10–20 Ω·cm. The resulting silicon nanowires had a diameter of about 100 nm with a resistance of approximately 15 kΩ·cm. Electrical conductivity measurements were performed in both planar and sandwich configurations, revealing analogous conductivity mechanisms across different geometries. Frequency-dependent conductivity studies unveiled the presence of hopping conductivity. A hypothesis is proposed regarding the existence of a potential barrier at the interface between the nanowire layer and the substrate.

KEYWORDS:

• Silicon nanowires
• metal-assisted chemical etching
• impedance spectroscopy
• volt-ampere characteristic
• structural and electrical characterisation

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Educational and Methodological Center of Lithography and Microscopy and Research Facilities Sharing Center of Lomonosov Moscow State University for providing the equipment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, grant no. [22-72-10062].