Thermal activation and quantum field emission in a sketch-based oxide nanotransistor.

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 thermal activation across a potential barrier controlled by the nanowire gate. Below T = 150 K, current flow is dominated by quantum field emission. Sharp maxima in the quantum field emission, observed at T(C1) = 65 K and T(C2) = 25 K, arise from dielectric anomalies occurring at structural phase transitions in the SrTiO(3) 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.