This work elucidates the role of the Schottky junction in the electronic transport of nanometer-scale transistors. In the example of Schottky barrier silicon nanowire field effect transistors, an electrical scanning probe technique is applied to examine the charge transport effects of a nanometer-scale local top gate during operation. The results prove experimentally that Schottky barriers control the charge carrier transport in these devices. In addition, a proof of concept for a reprogrammable nonvolatile memory device based on band bending at the Schottky barriers will be shown.