Ionic liquid gating of InAs nanowire-based field effect transistors

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates efficient ionic liquid gating of InAs nanowire transistors, enabling significant carrier modulation and the transition from semiconductor to metallic behavior, opening new avenues for fundamental and applied research.

Contribution

It presents the first systematic study of ionic-liquid gating in individual III-V semiconductor nanowires, showing enhanced control over electronic properties.

Findings

Transconductance thirty times larger than standard back gating.

Controlled transition from semiconductor to metallic-like behavior.

Potential applications in phase-transitions and bioelectronics.

Abstract

We report the operation of a field-effect transistor based on a single InAs nanowire gated by an ionic liquid. Liquid gating yields very efficient carrier modulation with a transconductance value thirty time larger than standard back gating with the SiO2 /Si++ substrate. Thanks to this wide modulation we show the controlled evolution from semiconductor to metallic-like behavior in the nanowire. This work provides the first systematic study of ionic-liquid gating in electronic devices based on individual III-V semiconductor nanowires: we argue this architecture opens the way to a wide range of fundamental and applied studies from the phase-transitions to bioelectronics.