Thesis (M.E.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). "30th January 2006." Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-130). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

abstract: In this project, a novel method is presented for measuring the resistivity of nanoscale metallic conductors (nanowires) using a variable-spacing 2-point method with a modified ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope. An auxiliary field emission imaging method that allows for scanning insulating surfaces using a large gap distance (20nm) is also presented. Using these methods, the resistivity of self-assembled endotaxial FeSi2 nanowires (NWs) on Si(110) was measured. The resistivity was found to vary inversely with NW width, being rhoNW = 200 uOhm cm at 12 nm and 300 uOhm cm at 2 nm. The increase at small w is attributed to boundary scattering, and is fit to the Fuchs-Sondheimer model, yielding values of rho0 = 150 uOhm cm and lambda = 2.4 nm, for specularity parameter p = 0.5. These results are attributed to a high concentration of point defects in the FeSi2 structure, with a correspondingly short inelastic electron scattering length. It is remarkable that the defect concentration persists in very small structures, and is not changed by surface oxidation. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Physics 2011

Zinc Oxide has emerged from an unspectacular past in the field of electronics to become one of the most widely researched materials for future devices. Here we investigate the growth and electrical properties of semiconducting ZnO nanowires for future application in the field of Nano-Devices and present a solution to control the behaviour of the electrical contacts. ZnO nanowires (NWs) from initial growth experimentation and optimisation have been thoroughly characterised both structurally and electrically. Structural characterisation revealed the high quality of nanowires from vapour phase and hydrothermal growth that translated to similar measurements of nanowire resistivity. We have confirmed the results of atomic resolution dark field imaging with simulations that no Au catalyst contaminates ZnO nanowires, which makes the material more desirable than Silicon or GaAs. Within the limits of the dark field imaging the interface of the catalyst particle and the nanowire is abrupt, clean and intimate, with no Au diffusion, interfacial layers or roughness. Electron microscopy reveals the Au has an epitaxial relationship with the ZnO and is solid during growth. Using fabrication and contamination free nanoprobe measurements (four-probe scanning tunnelling microscope) in vacuum a transition from rectifying to Ohmic is dependent on contact size and not the materials or structural variations. We have shown this with the application of the nanoprobe on free standing as-grown catalysed ZnO nanowires. Using the most common nanowire growth methods the structure has been thoroughly characterised to allow the interpretation of electrical measurements of resistivity and Au end contacts. A regime of size dependent contacts to ZnO nanowires provides the necessary knowledge and requirements to fabricate ZnO nanowire devices with controlled properties and function. This is a major hurdle for nanodevices overcome without complicated or difficult processing steps. A nanodevice can be fabricated from a substrate, with contacts, in one- step and with tailored interface properties by controlling the catalyst particle size.

Frequency multiplication is an effect that arises in electronic components that exhibit a non-linear response to electromagnetic stimuli. Barriers to achieving very high frequency response from electronic devices are the device capacitance and other parasitic effects such as resistances that arise from the device geometry and are in general a function of the size of the device. In general, smaller device geometries and features lead to a faster response to electromagnetic stimuli. It was posited that the small size of the silicon nanowires (SiNWs) would lead to small device capacitance and spreading resistance, thus making the silicon nanowires useful in generating microwave and terahertz radiation by frequency multiplication. To verify this hypothesis, silicon nanowires based devices were fabricated and investigated using two experimental setups. The setups were designed to allow the investigation of the nanowire based devices at low frequencies and at high frequencies. Both setups consisted of an RF/microwave source, filters, waveguide, and a spectrum analyzer. They also allowed the characterization of the samples with a semiconductor parameter analyzer. The first step in the investigation of the SiNW devices was to install them in the waveguides and perform Current-Voltage (I-V) sweeps using the semiconductor parameter analyzer. The devices that exhibited the non-linear I-V characteristics typical of diodes were further investigated by first exposing them to 70MHz and 500MHz frequencies in the low frequency setup and then to 50GHz microwaves in the high frequency setup. The response of the devices was captured with a spectrum analyzer. The results demonstrate that the non-linear effect of frequency multiplication is present in nanowire devices from DC to 100GHz. The HF setup provides a platform that with an appropriate detector can be used to detect harmonics of the SiNWs in sub-millimeter/THz region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

In this work, nickel-gold multi-segmented magnetic nanowires were grown by electrodeposition in anodized alumina templates. The templates were fabricated by a two step anodization process of aluminum disks in an aqueous solution of oxalic acid. In this process, ordered pores grew in an alumina oxide layer at the exposed aluminum area. Each disk was electropolished before the anodization process and the features at its surface were characterized to assess the effect on the pore ordering. Nickel Watts and gold cyanide electrolyte baths were prepared to electrodeposit pure nickel and gold in the templates. Both solutions response to a range of externally applied voltages was characterized and a threshold voltage above which deposition occurs is reported. Single nanowires were isolated by chemically dissolving the template and dispersed in ethanol. Devices were fabricated with these isolated nanowires in which gold contacts were deposited to measure the resistance. A current pulse setup was implemented in a magnetoresistance system allowing to send current pulses with amplitude as low as 2nA and 50μs width. Magneto resistance measurement were carried out on the single nanowires devices and the effect of current pulses was studied. It was found that distinct resistance states can be achieved by applying a determined current pulse at a constant applied field and that the initial state can be recovered by removing excess charge from the nanowire. Finally, the effect of annealing the nanowires in an air atmosphere at 150°C for 24 hours is studied showing that the nickel sections oxidize and the gold sections remain unchanged.

Ultraviolet (UV) group III-Nitride-based light emitters have been used in various applications such as water purification, medicine, lighting and chemical detection. Despite attractive properties such as bandgap tunability in the whole UV range (UV-C to UV-A), high chemical stability and relative low cost, the low quantum efficiency hamper the full utilization. In fact, external quantum efficiencies of UV devices are below 10 % for emission wavelength shorter than 350 nm. This thesis aims to show alternative solutions to such problems by employing nanowires (NWs) structures, and target the eventual application of reliable and high power NWs-based light-emitting devices, enabling large-scale production using the established silicon foundry processes. Here, we present the improvement of injection current and optical power of AlGaN NWs LEDs by involving a metal bilayer thin film with a dual purpose: eliminate the potential barrier for carrier transport, and inhibit the formation of silicide. We then study the AlGaN/GaN UV LED design to optimize the device structure and improve the LED performance. We compared multiple devices having different active region and graded layers’ thicknesses. Improvement on the output power was achieved for larger p-AlGaN graded layer and thinner p-GaN contact layer structure due to the better hole injection and lower p-GaN absorption. The junction temperature of AlGaN-based NWs LEDs on metal bi-layer and silicon is also presented as a crucial parameter affecting the device efficiency, chromaticity and reliability. In this regard, by using the forward-voltage and peak-shift method we extracted the junction temperature values and confirmed the better heat dissipation in NWs grown on metal substrate. Finally, the origin of single and ensemble NWs current injection and injection efficiency are studied by treating the AlGaN NWs with KOH solution. Measurements based on conductive atomic force microscopy enabled a fast feedback cycle without fabricating the device. Despite the NWs technology is still at its infancy compared to the matured planar, we believe that this research effort will give important insight in advancing the AlGaN NWs devices for future industrial employment.

No description available.

<p> Periodic arrays of Au patterns (dots and lines) were produced via electron beam lithography (EBL). GaAs mesas were produced by using the Au structures as a mask and wet etching the GaAs (lll)B substrates, leaving Au resting above GaAs pillars. Annealing experiments at typical nanowire growth temperatures (550°C) were performed on both mesa-supported samples and a control sample without mesas, and were later characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From SEM images, a model is proposed to describe the evolution of the Au seed particle during exposure to typical growth conditions. The Au particle is subject to not only a melting process but is also modified by a volume increase due to incorporating Ga atoms and a subsequent crystal structure change. Palpable discrepancies between the mesa-supported and control samples were observed after annealing experiments, suggesting the mesas were effective in confining the migration of the Au. NW s were then grown via gas source molecular beam epitaxy (GS-MBE). Discemable variation amongst the results was evident when a comparison between annealed samples and the grown counterpart was made. The inconsistency is ascribed to the NW growth process beginning only after supersaturation at the growth interface. This saturation took place only after 2-D film growth on the substrate surpassed the height of the mesas rendering the structures less functional. </p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)