Confinement effects and surface-induced charge carriers in Bi Quantum Wires

We present measurements of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in arrays of bismuth nanowires with diameters comparable to the Fermi wavelength. For 80-nm wires the hole concentration is less than 30% of that for bulk Bi, consistent with current models of quantum confinement effects. However, 30-nm wires nanowires which are predicted to be a semiconducting show a nearly isotropic short period of 0.025 T-1, consistent with a heavy carrier concentration five times that of bulk Bi. These results are discussed in terms of surface-induced charge carriers in a spherical Fermi surface pocket that are uniformly distributed in the 30-nm nanowire volume and that inhibit the semimetal-to-semiconductor transition.

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