Transport in cleaved-edge overgrowth wires

We report the results of 3 terminal measurements on a one-dimensional (1D) wire. By utilizing cleaved-edge overgrowth, we were able to vary the coupling between a ID conductor and an adjacent two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) strip attached to the central part of the wire. We study the 1D-2DEG coupling by controlling the width of the 2DEG strip. Ballistic transport along the wire persists for interaction regions as long as 6 mum. Thus, with our shortest interaction region (narrowest strip) of 2 mum, the wire remains almost undisturbed by the presence of the nearby 2DEG allowing a true 3 terminal measurement on a clean wire. Our observations also explain the origin of the non-universal conductance quantization of such 1D wires. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science S.V. All rights reserved.