Branching of electron current and quantum effects in two-dimensional dislocation barrier of n-type semiconductor

Electron current through the dislocation wall of the bicrystal boundary flo ws through saddle points of the 3D-potential relief. At low-enough temperat ures this leads to current branching, i.e. to the separation of the current into numerous channels. Under some conditions, these channels make up 1D-c onductors with the ballistic transport. As this takes place, effects associ ated with the quantum nature of the channel conductance could be observed e xperimentally. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.