Abstract: An electric device is disclosed comprising a pn-heterojunction (4) formed by a nanowire (3) of 111-V semiconductor material and a semiconductor body (1) comprising a group IV semiconductor material. The nanowire (3) is positioned in direct contact with the surface (2) of the semiconductor body (1) and has a first conductivity type, the semiconductor body (1) has a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, the nanowire (3) forming with the semiconductor body (1) a pn-heterojunction (4). The nanowire of III-V semiconductor material can be used as a diffusion source (5) of dopant atoms into the semiconductor body. The diffused group III atoms and/or the group V atoms from the III-V material are the dopant atoms forming a region (6) in the semiconductor body in direct contact with the nanowire (3).

Abstract: In the method, semiconductor substrates are etched to provide nanowires, said substrates comprising a first layer of a first material and a second layer of a second material with a mutual interface, which first and second materials are different. They may be different in the doping type. Alternatively, the main constituent of the material may be different, for example SiGe or SiC versus Si, or InP versus InAs. In the resulting nanowires, the interface is atomically sharp. The electronic devices having nanowires between a first and second electrode accordingly have very good electroluminescent and optoelectronic properties.

Abstract: The nanowire (10) comprises a first region (1), a second region (2), and a third region (3), wherein the diameter (c) of the second region (2) is greater than the diameters (a) of the first and the third region (1, 3), therewith interrupting at least partially the quantization of the nanowire (10) and giving the second region a smaller bandgap. The second region (2) has a length (b) in axial direction of less than 100 nm, preferably less than 20 nm. The nanowire (10) can be used in an (opto-)electronic device having electrodes as a quantum dot, a single-electron transistor, or the like.