AVS 60th International Symposium and Exhibition
    Nanometer-scale Science and Technology Tuesday Sessions
       Session NS+EM+EN-TuM

Paper NS+EM+EN-TuM3
Transition in Mechanisms of Size Dependent Properties at Nanoscale Interfaces

Tuesday, October 29, 2013, 8:40 am, Room 203 B

Session: Nanoscale Transport and Devices
Presenter: J. Hou, University of Pennsylvania
Authors: J. Hou, University of Pennsylvania
S.S. Nonnenmann, University of Pennsylvania
W. Qin, University of Pennsylvania
D.A. Bonnell, University of Pennsylvania
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As electronic and optoelectronic devices scale down to nanometer lengths, the properties of interfaces dictate performance. An important class of interfaces, metal-semiconductor and/or oxide contacts, have been shown to exhibit size dependent electronic properties. In this work, the mechanisms of size dependent properties at interfaces of noble metal nanoparticles and substrates is examined. Electron transport and interfacial atomic structure of a model system -- Au/SrTiO3 (STO) junctions, is systematically investigated with conductive Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In the range of 200 nm to 20 nm interface transport properties are size dependent, with ideality factor and Schottky barrier height derived from I-V curves. The relative amounts of tunneling and thermionic emission transport are quantified. A transition between two mechanisms of size dependence is identified. Implications to resistive switching are discussed.