Determination of the photocarrier diffusion length in intrinsic Ge nanowires

We quantitatively determined the photocarrier diffusion length in intrinsic Ge nanowires (NWs) using scanning photocurrent microscopy. Specifically, the spatial mapping of one-dimensional decay in the photocurrent along the Ge NWs under the scanning laser beam (λ= 532 nm) was analyzed in a one-dimensional diffusion rate equation to extract the diffusion length of ~4-5 μm. We further attempt to determine the photocarrier lifetime under a finite bias across the Ge NWs, and discuss the role of surface scattering.

Ultrafast electron and hole dynamics in germanium nanowires

We present the first ultrafast time-resolved optical measurements, to the best of our knowledge, on ensembles of germanium nanowires. Vertically aligned germanium nanowires with mean diameters of 18 and 30 nm are grown on (111) silicon substrates through chemical vapor deposition. We optically inject electron-hole pairs into the nanowires and exploit the indirect band structure of germanium to separately probe electron and hole dynamics with femtosecond time resolution. We find that the lifetime of both electrons and holes decreases with decreasing nanowire diameter, demonstrating that surface effects dominate carrier relaxation in semiconductor nanowires.

Influence of Surface States on Electron Transport through Intrinsic Ge Nanowires

Solution-grown single-crystal Ge nanowires were used as conductive channels in field effect transistor devices to study the influence of surface states on their electron transport properties. Nanowires contacted with Pt electrodes using focused ion beam metal deposition exhibited linear current-voltage (IV) curves at room temperature with apparent resistivities ranging from 10(1) to 10(-1) Omega cm. In all cases, the nanowire conductance decreased with positive external electric fields applied perpendicular to the nanowire surface by a gate electrode, characteristic of p-type carrier accumulation at the nanowire surface. The field-induced change in conductance exhibited a time-dependent relaxation, with response time and magnitude of current decrease that depended on the nanowire surface chemistry. Nanowires treated with an organic passivation layer using a thermally initiated hydrogermylation reaction exhibited 2 orders of magnitude slower current relaxation and a smaller decrease in current relative to "bare" nanowires with oxidized surfaces.