| Problems concerning electron transport in mesoscopic structures and nanostructures are considered in the paper. The electrical conductance of nanowires has been measured in a simple experimental system. Investigations have been performed in air at room temperature measuring the conductance between two vibrating metal wires with a standard oscilloscope. The conductance quantization in units of G0 = 2e2/h = (12.9 kΩ)-1 up to five quanta of conductance has been observed for nanowires formed in many metals. The explanation of this universal phenomena is the formation of a nanometer-sized wire (nanowire) between macroscopic metallic contacts which have induced, in accordance with the theory proposed by Landauer, the quantization of conductance. The thermal problems in nanowires are also discussed in the paper. |
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