Superlattice properties of semiconductor nanohelices in a transverse electric field

A charge carrier confined in a quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor helical nanostructure in the presence of an electric field normal to the axis of the helix is subjected to a periodic potential proportional to the strength of the field and the helix radius. As a result, electronic properties of such nanohelices are similar to those of semiconductor superlattices with parameters controlled by the applied field. These properties include Bragg scattering of charge carriers by a periodic potential, which results in energy gap opening at the edge of the superlattice Brillouin zone. This provides an opportunity for creating a new class of tunable high-frequency devices based on semiconductor nanohelices.