Effects of Strain on theCarrier Mobility in SiliconNanowires.

We investigate electron and hole mobilities in strainedsiliconnanowires (Si NWs) within an atomistic tight-binding framework. Weshow that the carrier mobilities in Si NWs are very responsive tostrain and can be enhanced or reduced by a factor >2 (up to 5×)for moderate strains in the ±2% range. The effects of strainon the transport properties are, however, very dependent on the orientationof the nanowires. Stretched ⟨100⟩ Si NWs are found tobe the best compromise for the transport of both electrons and holesin ≈10 nm diameter Si NWs. Our results demonstrate that strainengineering can be used as a very efficient booster for NW technologiesand that due care must be given to process-induced strains in NW devicesto achieve reproducible performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]