Phenomena in silicon nanostructure devices

In nanostructures, whenever the electron mean-free-path exceeds the appropr iate dimensions of the device structure, quantum natures may dictate the ph ysical properties of devices. Among many important issues, some are selecte d in this work, whereas others, such as the reduction of dielectric constan t, the increased binding energy of dopants, etc., are discussed briefly wit h references for further considerations. In the past several years, resonan t tunneling via nanoscale silicon particles imbedded in an oxide matrix has shown striking similarity to the so-called soft breakdown (SBD), an import ant current subject in devices with ultrathin oxide gates. The relevance in applying results discussed here to SBD is discussed. A Si/O superlattice, a particular form of a new type of superlattice, semiconductor-atomic super lattice (SAS), is fully discussed. This Si/O superlattice can be used in si licon quantum and light-emitting devices. A diode structure with green elec troluminescence has been life-tested for more than one year without degrada tion. High-resolution TEM shows defect density below 10(9)/cm(2). Prelimina ry calculation shows that the Si/O complexes result in a barrier height of 0.9 eV for silicon, sufficient for an epitaxially grown SOI, which is poten tially far better than the SOI using buried oxide implantation followed by high temperature anneal.