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Optimized Ultrasharp Silicon Nanowire Geometries for Enhanced Field Ionization Properties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2015

Kazim Gurkan Polat ,
Chen Zhou ,
Ahmad Umar  and
M. Saif Islam
Kazim Gurkan Polat
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Chen Zhou
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Ahmad Umar
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Najran University, Najran 11001, Saudi Arabia
M. Saif Islam
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Abstract

Silicon (Si) nanowires offer great potential for field ionization (FI) applications due to well-established Si microfabrication methods combined with favorable ionizing properties of Si. Band bending of semiconductors under applied electric fields increases the FI probability, which is not possible with metal-based counterparts. While it has been demonstrated that scaling down the active material geometry can increase the FI efficiency, maximum electric field at the tip of a single nanowire decreases by quenching effect of nearby nanowires. In this work, optimization of Si nanowire geometries for improved FI efficiencies is explored.

Keywords

Sinanoscalesimulation

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References

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