Air-bridge-structured silicon nanowire and anomalous conductivity

An air-bridge-structured silicon nanowire was made by micromachining a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate and electrically characterized. The nanowire was isolated from the substrate by an air gap and typically 20–100 nm in diameter and 300–600 nm in length. Current–voltage characteristics of these wires were anomalous electric conductivity such as negative resistance and hysteresis at room temperature. Charge accumulation into surface states is considered a dominant characteristic.