Single-electron tunneling in InP nanowires

We report on the fabrication and electrical characterization of field-effect devices based on wire-shaped InP crystals grown from Au catalyst particles by a vapor-liquid-solid process. Our InP wires are n-type doped with diameters in the 40-55-nm range and lengths of several micrometers. After being deposited on an oxidized Si substrate, wires are contacted individually via e-beam fabricated Ti/Al electrodes. We obtain contact resistances as low as similar to10 kOmega, with minor temperature dependence. The distance between the electrodes varies between 0.2 and 2 mum. The electron density in the wires is changed with a back gate. Low-temperature transport measurements show Coulomb-blockade behavior with single-electron charging energies of similar to1 meV. We also demonstrate energy quantization resulting from the confinement in the wire. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.