Periodically ordered arrays of vertically aligned Si nanowires (Si NWs) are successfully fabricated by nanosphere lithography combined with metal-assisted chemical etching. By adjusting the etching time, both the nanowires' diameter and length can be well controlled. The conductive properties of such Si NWs and particularly their size dependence are investigated by conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) on individual nanowires. The results indicate that the conductance of Si NWs is greatly relevant to their diameter and length. Si NWs with smaller diameters and shorter lengths exhibit better conductive properties. Together with the I-V curve characterization, a possible mechanism is supposed with the viewpoint of size-dependent Schottky barrier height, which is further verified by the electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) measurements. This study also suggests that CAFM can act as an effective means to explore the size (or other parameters) dependence of conductive properties on individual nanostructures, which should be essential for both fabrication optimization and potential applications of nanostructures.

中文翻译：

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研究单根硅纳米线的尺寸依赖性导电特性。


通过纳米球光刻与金属辅助化学蚀刻相结合，成功地制造了垂直排列的硅纳米线（Si NW）的周期性有序阵列。通过调节刻蚀时间，可以很好地控制纳米线的直径和长度。通过导电原子力显微镜（CAFM）在单个纳米线上研究了这种硅纳米线的导电特性，特别是它们的尺寸依赖性。结果表明，Si纳米线的电导与其直径和长度密切相关。直径较小、长度较短的硅纳米线表现出更好的导电性能。结合 IV 曲线表征，从尺寸相关的肖特基势垒高度的角度假设了一种可能的机制，并通过静电力显微镜 (EFM) 测量进一步验证。这项研究还表明，CAFM 可以作为探索导电性能对单个纳米结构的尺寸（或其他参数）依赖性的有效手段，这对于纳米结构的制造优化和潜在应用至关重要。