Single-electron tunneling in double-barrier heterostructures

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7041753

Su, B

The authors present systematic experimental study of charge transport in nanometer double-barrier resonant tunneling devices (quantum dots). The asymmetrical heterostructure material was used so that one barrier is substantially less transparent than the other. Resonant tunneling through size-quantized well states and single-electron charging of the well are thus largely separated in two different bias polarities. When the emitter barrier is more transparent than the collector barrier, electrons accumulate in the well; incremental electron occupation of the well, starting from zero, is accompanied by Coulomb blockade, which leads to sharp steps of the tunneling current. When the emitter barrier is less transparent than the collector barrier, the tunneling current reflects resonant tunneling through size-quantized well states; the current peaks and/or steps (depending on experimental parameters) appear in current-voltage characteristics. Experimental results of the magnetic field dependence and the temperature dependence of the current-voltage characteristics of the device are given. Good agreement is achieved in comparison of many features of the experimental data with simple theoretical model calculations.

• Research Organization: State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7041753
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

665400* -- Quantum Physics Aspects of Condensed Matter-- (1992-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CURRENTS
DATA
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HETEROJUNCTIONS
INFORMATION
JUNCTIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
POTENTIALS
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
TUNNEL EFFECT