Thermal Activation and Quantum Field Emission in a Sketch-Based Oxide Nano Transistor

We report direct measurements of the potential barriers and electronic coupling between nanowire segments within a sketch-based oxide nanotransistor (SketchFET) device. Near room temperature, switching is governed by thermally activation across a potential barrier controlled by the nanowire gate. Below T=150 K, a crossover to quantum field emission is observed that is sensitive to structural phase transitions in the SrTiO3 layer. This direct measurement of the source-drain and gate-drain energy barriers is crucial for the development of room-temperature logic and memory elements and low-temperature quantum devices.