Karl Franzens University Graz | Graz University of Technology | |
Electronically tuneable nanostructures The properties of materials are typically tailored by their micro- and nanostructure. This implies control of the grain size, defect concentration, structure and metastability. As long as the microstructure does not change during the use of the material, the properties of the material are fixed, or irreversible. In contrast, in semiconducting materials, properties can be tuned by the application of an external field due to the space charge regions which extend far from the interfaces. In conducting systems, this effect cannot be observed unless the dimensions of the structures are in the nanometer regime. The reason for this different behaviour is the small spatial dimension of the space charge regions due to the effective screening of the induced charges by the conduction electrons. |