A unified analytical model of the junction electrostatics in nanowire and nanotube arrays

We establish the unity underlying the junction electrostatics of nanowire and nanotube arrays, and develop a simple analytical model for both based on a common set of approximations of the field/potential distributions. The model predicts large depletion widths accurately, and reveals that, the depletion width in an array of nanowire and nanotube junctions varies as 1/charge per unit length of wire/tube multiplied by inter-wire/tube separation, where charge per unit length includes the effects of wire/tube radius and doping. This is much different from the exponential form derived in literature for a single nanowire or nanotube junction. The model satisfies all the limiting conditions, matches with numerical simulations and is extendible to nanofilms. Hence, it should be quite useful for nanodevice design. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.