Orientational and strain dependence of the mobility in silicon nanowires

We discuss the phonon-limited mobility of electrons and holes in silicon nanowires as a function of diameter and orientation. We show that 〈110〉 and 〈001〉 nanowires are the best n-type channels, while 〈110〉 and 〈111〉 nanowires are the best p-type channels. We also investigate the mobility in stretched silicon nanowires. We show that the electron and hole mobility can be enhanced or reduced by a factor >; 2 for moderate axial strains <; 1%.