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Quantum Transport Length Scales in Silicon-based Semiconducting Nanowires: Surface Roughness Effects

We report on a theoretical study of quantum charge transport in atomistic models of silicon nanowires with surface roughness-based disorder. Depending on the nanowires features (length, roughness profile) various conduction regimes are explored numerically by using efficient real space order N computational approaches of both Kubo-Greenwood and Landauer-Buttiker transport frameworks. Quantitative estimations of the elastic mean free paths, charge mobilities and localization lengths are performed as a function of the correlation length of the surface roughness disorder. The obtained values for charge mobilities well compare with the experimental estimates of the most performant undoped nanowires. Further the limitations of the Thouless relationship between the mean free path and the localization length are outlined.