The effects of atomic imperfections upon coherent electron transmission, in [100] quantum wires which were a few nm wide, were investigated by using a tight-binding Green’s function approach. A significant suppression of electron transmission was attributed to imperfections in the extremely narrow wires. Multiple conductance peaks or oscillations could easily develop, due to the presence of several vacancy defects, and lead to the existence of a finite zero-conductance region around the sub-band edge. Substitutional defects and surface dangling bonds generally resulted in decreased oscillatory conductances; with more marked effects being found in narrower wires.

Effects of Atomistic Defects on Coherent Electron Transmission in Si Nanowires: Full Band Calculations. Y.J.Ko, M.Shin, S.Lee, K.W.Park: Journal of Applied Physics, 2001, 89[1], 374-9