Growth of PbTe nanowires by molecular beam epitaxy

Advances in quantum technology may come from the discovery of new materials systems that improve the performance or allow for new functionality in electronic devices. Lead telluride (PbTe) is a member of the group IV–VI materials family that has significant untapped potential for exploration. Due to its high electron mobility, strong spin–orbit coupling and ultrahigh dielectric constant it can host few-electron quantum dots and ballistic quantum wires with opportunities for control of electron spins and other quantum degrees of freedom. Here, we report the fabrication of PbTe nanowires by molecular beam epitaxy. We achieve defect-free single crystalline PbTe with large aspect ratios up to 50 suitable for quantum devices. Furthermore, by fabricating a single nanowire field effect transistor, we attain bipolar transport, extract the bandgap and observe Fabry–Pérot oscillations of conductance, a signature of quasiballistic transmission.