Silicon carbide nanowires studied by scanning tunneling spectroscopy

The electronic structure of silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires was studied for the first time using scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and current imaging tunneling spectroscopy (CITS). The STS spectra indicated that the surface of nanowires has an n-type semiconducting behavior which is attributed to nitrogen doping of the sample material. The local density of states (LDOS) showed characteristic peaks in occupied and unoccupied part of the spectra. The origin of the LDOS maxima were discussed in contexts of the dopant-induced states, the subsurface defects, and the surface states related to the local reconstruction process. The work shows the applicability to investigate the SiC nanowires by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy.