Electrical properties of nominally undoped silicon nanowires grown by molecular-beam epitaxy

Single undoped Si nanowires were electrically characterized. The nanowires were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on n(+) silicon substrates and were contacted by platinum/iridium tips. I-V curves were measured and electron beam induced current investigations were performed on single nanowires. It was found that the nanowires have an apparent resistivity of 0.85 Omega cm, which is much smaller than expected for undoped Si nanowires. The conductance is explained by hopping conductivity at the Si-SiO2 interface of the nanowire surface.