Fabrication of one-dimensional silicon nano-wires based on proximity effects of electron-beam lithography

One-dimensional silicon nanowire structures have been successfully made by using the proximity and accumulation effects of electron-beam (e-beam) lithography. Wire structures are fabricated in a thin poly silicon layer on a silicon substrate with a 400 nm buried SiO₂. Measurements of the current-voltage characteristics at various temperatures from 4 K up to 300 K show significant nonlinearities and single-electron effect behavior. The blockade size is significantly affected by thermal effects, oscillations of the blockade, and the conductivity dependence on the gate potential.