DOI 10.1007/s00339-010-6242-7 Structure and electrical properties of p-type twin ZnTe nanowires

Abstract Resonant tunneling is firstly found in twin p-type ZnTe nanowire field-effect transistors. The twin ZnTe nanowires are synthesized via the thermal evaporation process. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy characterization indicate that the as-grown twin nanowire has a zinc-blende crystal structure with an integrated growth direction of [11-1]. The twin plane is (11-1) and the angle between the mirror symmetri-cal planes is 141°. The formation of twins is attributed to the surface tension from the eutectic liquid droplet. Field-effect transistors based on single ZnTe twin nanowire are con-structed, the corresponding electrical measurements demon-strate that the twin nanowires have a p-type conductivity with a mobility (μh) of 0.11 cm2 V−1 S−1, and a carrier concentration (nh) of 1.1 × 1017 cm−3. Significantly, the negative differential resistance with a peak-to-valley current ratio of about 1.3 is observed in p-type twin ZnTe nanowire field-effect transistors at room temperature. As the periodic barriers produced in the periodic twin interfaces can for