Electron transport through individual Ge self-assembled quantum dots on Si

Journal Article · Mon Aug 21 00:00:00 EDT 2006 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2338004· OSTI ID:20883180

Chung, H -C; Chu, W -H; Liu, C -P ^[1]

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1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan 701 (China)

Electrical properties of self-assembled quantum dots have been the subject of intensive research due to quantum confinement. Here the authors report on the fabrication of Ge quantum dots (QDs) onto Si (100) by ultrahigh-vacuum ion beam sputtering and the electrical properties of individual QDs. Transmission electron microscopy images show that samples with completely incoherent or coherent semispherical islands can be produced under different ion energies. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics with conductive atomic force microscopy at room temperature. exhibit linear behavior at low bias and nonlinear behavior at large bias from coherent islands, whereas the staircase structures are clearly observed in the I-V curve from incoherent islands, which are attributed to electron tunneling through the quantized energy levels of a single Ge QD.

• OSTI ID: 20883180
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 89, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2338004; (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY
DEPOSITION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRONS
GERMANIUM
ION BEAMS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
QUANTUM DOTS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SPUTTERING
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
TUNNEL EFFECT