By the aid of magnetic-field-dependent Hall effect measurements, we have extracted the electron mobility and concentration in hydrogenated Si nanocrystals grown on crystalline silicon substrates within the framework of mobility spectrum analysis. A unified model based on diffusive and ballistic transport mechanisms has been employed to explain the observed electron mobility in Si nanocrystals with different doping levels, as well as the mobility edge in low-doping Si nanocrystals. Both the theoretical and experimental results clearly demonstrate the control of the electronic band structures by shallow impurity phosphorus doping in Si nanocrystals, which provide an experimental basis for further nanoelectronic device design using Si nanocrystals.

• Received 24 September 2004

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.72.035309