Electrical characterization and size effect of highly arsenic-doped silicon nanowires

Electrical measurements of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) synthesized by Au catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth and in-situ arsine (AsH
₃
) doping are reported for the first time. We demonstrate that highly n-doped SiNWs can be grown without signs of clustering. Based on electrical measurements of individual wires, reproducible donor incorporation of up to 5.2 × 10
¹⁹
cm
^-3
could be revealed. By measuring the electrical characteristics as a function of the radius, we show that the electrically active carrier density drastically reduces for small nanowires at radii much larger than those at which quantization or dopant surface segregation effects set in. Furthermore, dopant segregation by silicidized junctions provided improved contact resistivities as low as 1.4 × 10
^-11
Ωm
²
.