136 research outputs found
Non-universal transmission phase behaviour of a large quantum dot
The electron wave function experiences a phase modification at coherent
transmission through a quantum dot. This transmission phase undergoes a
characteristic shift of when scanning through a Coulomb-blockade
resonance. Between successive resonances either a transmission phase lapse of
or a phase plateau is theoretically expected to occur depending on the
parity of the corresponding quantum dot states. Despite considerable
experimental effort, this transmission phase behaviour has remained elusive for
a large quantum dot. Here we report on transmission phase measurements across
such a large quantum dot hosting hundreds of electrons. Using an original
electron two-path interferometer to scan the transmission phase along fourteen
successive resonances, we observe both phase lapses and plateaus. Additionally,
we demonstrate that quantum dot deformation alters the sequence of transmission
phase lapses and plateaus via parity modifications of the involved quantum dot
states. Our findings set a milestone towards a comprehensive understanding of
the transmission phase of quantum dots.Comment: Main paper: 18 pages, 5 figures, Supplementary materials: 8 pages, 4
figure
Tuning the electrically evaluated electron Lande g factor in GaAs quantum dots and quantum wells of different well widths
We evaluate the Lande g factor of electrons in quantum dots (QDs) fabricated
from GaAs quantum well (QW) structures of different well width. We first
determine the Lande electron g factor of the QWs through resistive detection of
electron spin resonance and compare it to the enhanced electron g factor
determined from analysis of the magneto-transport. Next, we form laterally
defined quantum dots using these quantum wells and extract the electron g
factor from analysis of the cotunneling and Kondo effect within the quantum
dots. We conclude that the Lande electron g factor of the quantum dot is
primarily governed by the electron g factor of the quantum well suggesting that
well width is an ideal design parameter for g-factor engineering QDs
Sequential and co-tunneling behavior in the temperature-dependent thermopower of few-electron quantum dots
We have studied the temperature dependent thermopower of gate-defined,
lateral quantum dots in the Coulomb blockade regime using an electron heating
technique. The line shape of the thermopower oscillations depends strongly on
the contributing tunneling processes. Between 1.5 K and 40 mK a crossover from
a pure sawtooth- to an intermitted sawtooth-like line shape is observed. The
latter is attributed to the increasing dominance of cotunneling processes in
the Coulomb blockade regime at low temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Spin photocurrents and circular photon drag effect in (110)-grown quantum well structures
We report on the study of spin photocurrents in (110)-grown quantum well
structures. Investigated effects comprise the circular photogalvanic effect and
so far not observed circular photon drag effect. The experimental data can be
described by an analytical expression derived from a phenomenological theory. A
microscopic model of the circular photon drag effect is developed demonstrating
that the generated current has spin dependent origin.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
0.7-anomaly and magnetotransport of disordered quantum wires
The unexpected "0.7" plateau of conductance quantisation is usually observed
for ballistic one-dimensional devices. In this work we study a quasi-ballistic
quantum wire, for which the disorder induced backscattering reduces the
conductance quantisation steps. We find that the transmission probability
resonances coexist with the anomalous plateau. The studies of these resonances
as a function of the in-plane magnetic field and electron density point to the
presence of spin polarisation at low carrier concentrations and constitute a
method for the determination of the effective g-factor suitable for disordered
quantum wires.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
The annealing mechanism of AuGe/Ni/Au ohmic contacts to a two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures
Ohmic contacts to a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in GaAs/AlGaAs
heterostructures are often realized by annealing of AuGe/Ni/Au that is
deposited on its surface. We studied how the quality of this type of ohmic
contact depends on the annealing time and temperature, and how optimal
parameters depend on the depth of the 2DEG below the surface. Combined with
transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry
studies of the annealed contacts, our results allow for identifying the
annealing mechanism and proposing a model that can predict optimal annealing
parameters for a certain heterostructure.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Wafer-scale epitaxial modulation of quantum dot density
Precise control of the properties of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) is vital for creating novel devices for quantum photonics and advanced opto-electronics. Suitable low QD-densities for single QD devices and experiments are challenging to control during epitaxy and are typically found only in limited regions of the wafer. Here, we demonstrate how conventional molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) can be used to modulate the density of optically active QDs in one- and two- dimensional patterns, while still retaining excellent quality. We find that material thickness gradients during layer-by-layer growth result in surface roughness modulations across the whole wafer. Growth on such templates strongly influences the QD nucleation probability. We obtain density modulations between 1 and 10 QDs/µm2 and periods ranging from several millimeters down to at least a few hundred microns. This method is universal and expected to be applicable to a wide variety of different semiconductor material systems. We apply the method to enable growth of ultra-low noise QDs across an entire 3-inch semiconductor wafer
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