Single hole transistor in a p-Si/SiGe quantum well

A single hole transistor is patterned in a p-Si/SiGe quantum well by applying voltages to nanostructured top gate electrodes. Gating is achieved by oxidizing the etched semiconductor surface and the mesa walls before evaporation of the top gates. Pronounced Coulomb blockade effects are observed at small coupling of the transistor island to source and drain.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Analysis of the resistance in p-SiGe over a wide temperature range

The temperature dependence of a system exhibiting a `metal-insulator transition in two dimensions at zero magnetic field' (MIT) is studied up to 90K. Using a classical scattering model we are able to simulate the non-monotonic temperature dependence of the resistivity in the metallic high density regime. We show that the temperature dependence arises from a complex interplay of metallic and insulating contributions contained in the calculation of the scattering rate 1/\td(E,T), each dominating in a limited temperature range.Comment: 4 pages with 5 figure

On the driven Frenkel-Kontorova model: I. Uniform sliding states and dynamical domains of different particle densities

The dynamical behavior of a harmonic chain in a spatially periodic potential (Frenkel-Kontorova model, discrete sine-Gordon equation) under the influence of an external force and a velocity proportional damping is investigated. We do this at zero temperature for long chains in a regime where inertia and damping as well as the nearest-neighbor interaction and the potential are of the same order. There are two types of regular sliding states: Uniform sliding states, which are periodic solutions where all particles perform the same motion shifted in time, and nonuniform sliding states, which are quasi-periodic solutions where the system forms patterns of domains of different uniform sliding states. We discuss the properties of this kind of pattern formation and derive equations of motion for the slowly varying average particle density and velocity. To observe these dynamical domains we suggest experiments with a discrete ring of at least fifty Josephson junctions.Comment: Written in RevTeX, 9 figures in PostScrip

Periodic vacuum and particles in two dimensions

Different dynamical symmetry breaking patterns are explored for the two dimensional phi4 model with higher order derivative terms. The one-loop saddle point expansion predicts a rather involved phase structure and a new Gaussian critical line. This vacuum structure is corroborated by the Monte Carlo method, as well. Analogies with the structure of solids, the density wave phases and the effects of the quenched impurities are mentioned. The unitarity of the time evolution operator in real time is established by means of the reflection positivity.Comment: Final version, additional references and the proof of reflection positivity added, 41 pages, 16 figure

Differential compartmentalization of myeloid cell phenotypes and responses towards the CNS in Alzheimer's disease

Myeloid cells are suggested as an important player in Alzheimer´s disease (AD). However, its continuum of phenotypic and functional changes across different body compartments and their use as a biomarker in AD remains elusive. Here, we perform multiple state-of-the-art analyses to phenotypically and metabolically characterize immune cells between peripheral blood (n = 117), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, n = 117), choroid plexus (CP, n = 13) and brain parenchyma (n = 13). We find that CSF cells increase expression of markers involved in inflammation, phagocytosis, and metabolism. Changes in phenotype of myeloid cells from AD patients are more pronounced in CP and brain parenchyma and upon in vitro stimulation, suggesting that AD-myeloid cells are more vulnerable to environmental changes. Our findings underscore the importance of myeloid cells in AD and the detailed characterization across body compartments may serve as a resource for future studies focusing on the assessment of these cells as biomarkers in AD

Coexistence of Weak Localization and a Metallic Phase in Si/SiGe Quantum Wells

Magnetoresistivity measurements on p-type Si/SiGe quantum wells reveal the coexistence of a metallic behavior and weak localization. Deep in the metallic regime, pronounced weak localization reduces the metallic behavior around zero magnetic field without destroying it. In the insulating phase, a positive magnetoresistivity emerges close to B=0, possibly related to spin-orbit interactions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Analysis of the Metallic Phase of Two-Dimensional Holes in SiGe in Terms of Temperature Dependent Screening

We find that temperature dependent screening can quantitatively explain the metallic behaviour of the resistivity on the metallic side of the so-called metal-insulator transition in p-SiGe. Interference and interaction effects exhibit the usual insulating behaviour which is expected to overpower the metallic background at sufficiently low temperatures. We find empirically that the concept of a Fermi-liquid describes our data in spite of the large r_s = 8.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Miniband-related 1.4–1.8 μm luminescence of Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices

The luminescence properties of highly strained, Sb-doped Ge/Si multi-layer heterostructures with incorporated Ge quantum dots (QDs) are studied. Calculations of the electronic band structure and luminescence measurements prove the existence of an electron miniband within the columns of the QDs. Miniband formation results in a conversion of the indirect to a quasi-direct excitons takes place. The optical transitions between electron states within the miniband and hole states within QDs are responsible for an intense luminescence in the 1.4–1.8 µm range, which is maintained up to room temperature. At 300 K, a light emitting diode based on such Ge/Si QD superlattices demonstrates an external quantum efficiency of 0.04% at a wavelength of 1.55 µm