Noise in silicon nanowires

The current-voltage and noise characteristics of bridging silicon wires have been measured at room temperature. From the linear current-voltage characteristics the bulk and contact resistance contributions are extracted and modeled. The excess noise observed at low frequencies is interpreted in terms of bulk and contact noise contributions, with the former comparable, in terms of Hooge parameter values, to the low noise levels observed in high-quality silicon devices. The contact noise is significant in some devices and is attributed to the impinging end of the bridging nanowires.