Zamani, RR, Hage, FS, Lehmann, S et al. (2 more authors) (2018) Atomic-Resolution Spectrum Imaging of Semiconductor Nanowires. Nano Letters, 18 (3). pp. 1557-1563. ISSN 1530-6984
Abstract
Over the past decade, III–V heterostructure nanowires have attracted a surge of attention for their application in novel semiconductor devices such as tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs). The functionality of such devices critically depends on the specific atomic arrangement at the semiconductor heterointerfaces. However, most of the currently available characterization techniques lack sufficient spatial resolution to provide local information on the atomic structure and composition of these interfaces. Atomic-resolution spectrum imaging by means of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is a powerful technique with the potential to resolve structure and chemical composition with sub-angstrom spatial resolution and to provide localized information about the physical properties of the material at the atomic scale. Here, we demonstrate the use of atomic-resolution EELS to understand the interface atomic arrangement in three-dimensional heterostructures in semiconductor nanowires. We observed that the radial interfaces of GaSb–InAs heterostructure nanowires are atomically abrupt, while the axial interface in contrast consists of an interfacial region where intermixing of the two compounds occurs over an extended spatial region. The local atomic configuration affects the band alignment at the interface and, hence, the charge transport properties of devices such as GaSb–InAs nanowire TFETs. STEM–EELS thus represents a very promising technique for understanding nanowire physical properties, such as differing electrical behavior across the radial and axial heterointerfaces of GaSb–InAs nanowires for TFET applications.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017, American Chemical Society. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Nano Letters. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | aberration-corrected STEM; atomic-resolution EELS; GaSb−InAs; heterointerface; III−V nanowire; spectrum imaging |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemical & Process Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 19 Dec 2017 09:57 |
Last Modified: | 08 Nov 2018 01:39 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03929 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:125289 |