Electronic transport in nanowires: From injection-limited to spacecharge- limited behavior

Nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes, nanowires and graphene nanoribbons are being intensively explored for future nanoelectronic and nanophotonic applications. In order for these nanosystems to progress from the research laboratory to technology, it is critical to precisely understand and control charge injection at the contacts and subsequent charge transport. In this paper, we discuss recent experimental and theoretical results on electrical contacts to Ge nanowires and electronic transport in GaN and InAs nanowires. It is shown that both the properties of the nanocontacts and the charge transport differ significantly from those of bulk systems. © 2009 SPIE.