We present a review of features due to resonant tunnelling in transport spectroscopy experiments on quantum dots and single donors. The review covers features attributable to intrinsic properties of the dot as well as extrinsic effects, with a focus on the most common operating conditions. We describe several phenomena that can lead to apparently identical signatures in a bias spectroscopy measurement, with the aim of providing experimental methods to distinguish between their different physical origins. The correct classification of the resonant tunnelling features is an essential requirement to understand the details of the confining potential or predict the performance of the dot for quantum information processing.
We study bistability in the electron transport through a ring of N coupled quantum dots with two orbitals in each dot. One orbital is localized (called b orbital) and coupling of the b orbitals in any two dots is negligible; the other is delocalized in the plane of the ring (called d orbital), due to coupling of the d orbitals in the neighboring dots, as described by a tight-binding model. The d orbitals thereby form a band with finite width. The b and d orbitals are connected to the source and drain electrodes with a voltage bias V, allowing the electron tunnelling. Tunnelling current is calc…
Quantum dots defined in carbon nanotubes are a platform for both basic scientific studies and research into new device applications. In particular, they have unique properties that make them attractive for studying the coherent properties of single electron spins. To perform such experiments it is necessary to confine a single electron in a quantum dot with highly tunable barriers, but disorder has until now prevented tunable nanotube-based quantum-dot devices from reaching the single-electron regime. Here, we use local gate voltages applied to an ultra-clean suspended nanotube to confine a si…
We investigate the time-dependent, coherent, and dissipative dynamics of bound particles in single multilevel quantum dots in the presence of sequential tunnelling transport. We focus on the nonequilibrium regime where several channels are available for transport. Through a fully microscopic and non-Markovian density matrix formalism we investigate transport-induced decoherence and relaxation of the system. We validate our methodology by also investigating the Markov limit on our model. We confirm that not only does this limit neglect the coherent oscillations between system states as expected…
We measure tunnelling currents through electrostatically defined quantum dots in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure connected to two leads. For certain tunnelling barrier configurations and high sample bias we find a pronounced resonance associated with a Fermi edge singularity. This many-body scattering effect appears when the electrochemical potential of the quantum dot is aligned with the Fermi level of the lead less coupled to the dot. By changing the relative tunnelling barrier strength we are able to tune the interaction of the localised electron with the Fermi sea.
Magnetotunnelling spectroscopy of resonant tunnelling structures provides information on the nature of the two-dimensional electron gas in the well. We describe a model based on nonequilibrium Green's functions that allows for a comprehensive study of the density of states, tunnelling currents and current spin polarization. The investigated effects include the electron-phonon interaction, interface roughness scattering, Zeeman effect and the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. A qualitative agreement with experimental data is found regarding the satellite peaks. The spin polarization is predicted t…
The chemical stability of graphene and other free-standing two-dimensional crystals means that they can be stacked in different combinations to produce a new class of functional materials, designed for specific device applications. Here we report resonant tunnelling of Dirac fermions through a boron nitride barrier, a few atomic layers thick, sandwiched between two graphene electrodes. The resonant peak in the device characteristics occurs when the electronic spectra of the two electrodes are aligned. The resulting negative differential conductance persists up to room temperature and is gate v…
We carry out experiments on single-molecule junctions at low temperatures, using the mechanically controlled break junction technique. Analyzing the results received with more than ten different molecules the nature of the first peak in the differential conductance spectra is elucidated. We observe an electronic transition with a vibronic fine structure, which is most frequently smeared out and forms a broad peak. In the usual parameter range we find strong indications that additionally fluctuations become active even at low temperatures. We conclude that the electrical field feeds instabiliti…
We observe a series of sharp resonant features in the tunnelling differential conductance of InAs quantum dots. We found that dissipative quantum tunnelling has a strong influence on the operation of nano-devices. Because of such tunnelling the current-voltage characteristics of tunnel contact created between atomic force microscope tip and a surface of InAs/GaAs quantum dots display many interesting peaks. We found that the number, position, and heights of these peaks are associated with the phonon modes involved. To describe the found effect we use a quasi-classical approximation. There the …
A rigorous theory of photon emission accompanied inelastic tunnelling inside the gap of plasmonic nanoantennas has been developed. The disappointingly low efficiency of the electrical excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in these structures can be increased by orders of magnitude when a resonant tunnelling structure is incorporated inside the gap. Resonant tunnelling assisted surface plasmon emitter may become a key element in future electrically-driven nanoplasmonic circuits.
A new class of multilayered functional materials has recently emerged in which the component atomic layers are held together by weak van der Waals forces that preserve the structural integrity and physical properties of each layer. An exemplar of such a structure is a transistor device in which relativistic Dirac Fermions can resonantly tunnel through a boron nitride barrier, a few atomic layers thick, sandwiched between two graphene electrodes. An applied magnetic field quantises graphene's gapless conduction and valence band states into discrete Landau levels, allowing us to resolve individu…
We investigate the current-voltage characteristics of a field-effect tunnelling transistor comprised of both monolayer and bilayer graphene with well-aligned crystallographic axes, separated by three layers of hexagonal boron nitride. Using a self-consistent description of the device's electrostatic configuration we relate the current to three distinct tunable voltages across the system and hence produce a two-dimensional map of the I-V characteristics in the low energy regime. We show that the use of gates either side of the heterostructure offers a fine degree of control over the device's ri…
This study compares cross-sectional scanning tunnelling microscopy (XSTM) and atom probe tomography (APT). We use epitaxially grown self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) in GaAs as an exemplary material with which to compare these two nanostructural analysis techniques. We studied the composition of the wetting layer and the QDs, and performed quantitative comparisons of the indium concentration profiles measured by each method. We show that computational models of the wetting layer and the QDs, based on experimental data, are consistent with both analytical approaches. This establishes a lin…
We study the manifestation of the non-perturbative effects of interaction in sequential tunnelling between a quasi-one dimensional system of chiral quantum Hall edge channels and a multilevel quantum dot (QD). We use the formal scattering theory approach to the bosonization technique to present an alternative derivation of the Fermi-edge singularity (FES) effect and demonstrate the origin of its universality. This approach allows us to address, within the same framework, plasmon assisted sequential tunnelling to relatively large dots and investigate the interaction induced level broadening. Th…
Despite a rich choice of two-dimensional materials, which exists these days, heterostructures, both vertical (van der Waals) and in-plane, offer an unprecedented control over the properties and functionalities of the resulted structures. Thus, planar heterostructures allow p-n junctions between different two-dimensional semiconductors and graphene nanoribbons with well-defined edges; and vertical heterostructures resulted in the observation of superconductivity in purely carbon-based systems and realisation of vertical tunnelling transistors. Here we demonstrate simultaneous use of in-plane an…
The theory of the interaction of electrons with acoustic phonons in multilayer nitride-based AlN/GaN nanostructures was developed for the first time at $T\geqslant 0$ using the method of finite-temperature Green's functions and Dyson equation. Components of the Hamiltonian describing the system of electrons with acoustic phonons and the magnitudes of the electron spectrum shifts due to the electron-phonon interaction were obtained. Dependences of the electronic spectrum levels and spectrum of the acoustic phonons were found depending on the position of the internal potential barrier in the stu…
We analyze electron spin relaxation in electronic transport through coherently coupled double quantum dots in the spin blockade regime. In particular, we focus on hyperfine interaction as the spin relaxation mechanism. We pay special attention to the effect of the dynamical nuclear spin polarization induced by the electronic current on the nuclear environment. We discuss the behaviour of the electronic current and the induced nuclear spin polarization versus an external magnetic field for different hyperfine coupling intensities and interdot tunnelling strengths. We take into account, for each…
Recent developments in the technology of van der Waals heterostructures made from two-dimensional atomic crystals have already led to the observation of new physical phenomena, such as the metal-insulator transition and Coulomb drag, and to the realisation of functional devices, such as tunnel diodes, tunnel transistors and photovoltaic sensors. An unprecedented degree of control of the electronic properties is available not only by means of the selection of materials in the stack but also through the additional fine-tuning achievable by adjusting the built-in strain and relative orientation o…
We report on the resonant emission in coherently-driven single semiconductor quantum dots. We demonstrate that an ultra-weak non-resonant laser acts as an optical gate for the quantum dot resonant response. We show that the gate laser suppresses Coulomb blockade at the origin of a resonant emission quenching, and that the optically-gated quantum dots systematically behave as ideal two-level systems in both regimes of coherent and incoherent resonant emission.
Generating and detecting radiation in the technologically relevant range of the so-called terahertz gap ($0.1 - 10$ THz) is challenging because of a lack of efficient sources and detectors. Quantum dots in carbon nanotubes have shown great potential to build sensitive terahertz detectors usually based on photon-assisted tunnelling. A recently reported mechanism combining resonant quantum dot transitions and tunnelling barriers asymmetries results in a narrow linewidth photocurrent response with a large signal-to-noise ratio under weak THz radiation. That device was sensitive to one frequency, …
We are pursuing a capability to perform time resolved manipulations of single spins in quantum dot circuits involving more than two quantum dots. In this paper, we demonstrate full counting statistics as well as averaging techniques we use to calibrate the tunnel barriers. We make use of this to implement the Delft protocol for single shot single spin readout in a device designed to form a triple quantum dot potential. We are able to tune the tunnelling times over around three orders of magnitude. We obtain a spin relaxation time of 300 microseconds at 10T.
Coulomb blockade of tunnelling through compressible rings formed around an antidot: an explanation for $h/2e$ Aharonov-Bohm oscillations
我们考虑单电子隧穿通过antidot状态使用库仑阻塞模型，并给出了一个解释h/2 e Aharonov-Bohm振荡，这是实验观察到的最低朗道能级的两个自旋时形成的束缚态。我们表明，边缘通道可能包含可压缩区域，并使用简单的静电，通过外部自旋状态的共振应该发生两次每h/e周期。反点可能是一个强大的工具，用于研究量子霍尔边缘状态，以及量子点中发生的自旋和充电效应的相互作用。
Graphene quantum dots are attractive candidates for solid-state quantum bits. In fact, the predicted weak spin-orbit and hyperfine interaction promise spin qubits with long coherence times. Graphene quantum dot devices have been extensively investigated with respect to their excitation spectrum, spin-filling sequence, and electron-hole crossover. However their relaxation dynamics remain largely unexplored. This is mainly due to challenges in device fabrication, in particular regarding the control of carrier confinement and the tunability of the tunnelling barriers, both crucial to experimental…
We investigate experimentally and theoretically the resonant emission of single InAs/GaAs quantum dots in a planar microcavity. Due to the presence of at least one residual charge in the quantum dots, the resonant excitation of the neutral exciton is blocked. The influence of the residual doping on the initial quantum dots charge state is analyzed, and the resonant emission quenching is interpreted as a Coulomb blockade effect. The use of an additional non-resonant laser in a specific low power regime leads to the carrier draining in quantum dots and allows an efficient optical gating of the e…
We report on resonant optical spectroscopy of self-assembled InGaAs quantum dots in which the number of electrons can accurately be tuned to N=0,1,2 by an external gate voltage. Polarization, wave vector and magnetic field dependent measurements enable us to clearly distinguish between resonant Raman and resonant photoluminescence processes. The Raman spectra for N=1 and 2 electrons considerably differ from each other. In particular, for N=2, the quantum-dot He, the spectra exhibit both singlet and triplet transitions reflecting the elementary many-particle interaction. Also the resonant photo…
We consider the transition of electron between two quantum dots in which the discrete levels are swept past each other with a constant velocity. If a direct tunneling between the dot levels was allowed, an electron will be transferred between the dots when the levels cross. This transfer is described in terms of the conventional Landau-Zener theory. We assume that direct tunneling between the dots is forbidden. Rather, the transfer is due to the resonant tunneling via a discrete impurity level separating the dots. Then the description of the electron transfer reduces to a threestate (two dots …
Single-electron circuits of the future, consisting of a network of quantum dots, will require a mechanism to transport electrons from one functional part to another. For example, in a quantum computer[1] decoherence and circuit complexity can be reduced by separating qubit manipulation from measurement and by providing some means to transport electrons from one to the other.[2] Tunnelling between neighbouring dots has been demonstrated[3, 4] with great control, and the manipulation of electrons in single and double-dot systems is advancing rapidly.[5-8] For distances greater than a few hundred…
Realistic relaxed configurations of triaxially strained graphene quantum dots are obtained from unbiased atomistic mechanical simulations. The local electronic structure and quantum transport characteristics of y-junctions based on such dots are studied, revealing that the quasi-uniform pseudomagnetic field induced by strain restricts transport to Landau level- and edge state-assisted resonant tunneling. Valley degeneracy is broken in the presence of an external field, allowing the selective filtering of the valley and chirality of the states assisting in the resonant tunneling. Asymmetric str…
Quantum dots are an important model system for thermoelectric phenomena, and may be used to enhance the thermal-to-electric energy conversion efficiency in functional materials. It is therefore important to obtain a detailed understanding of a quantum-dot's thermopower as a function of the Fermi energy. However, so far it has proven difficult to take effects of co-tunnelling into account in the interpretation of experimental data. Here we show that a single-electron tunnelling model, using knowledge of the dot's electrical conductance which in fact includes all-order co-tunneling effects, pred…
We calculate the emission spectrum of neutral and charged excitons in a pair of laterally coupled InGaAs quantum dots with nearly degenerate energy levels. As the interdot distance decreases, a number of changes take place in the emission spectrum which can be used as indications of molecular coupling. These signatures ensue from the stronger tunnel-coupling of trions as compared to that of neutral excitons.
The resonant scattering of surface plasmon-polariton waves by embedded semiconductor quantum dots above the dielectric/metal interface is explored in the strong-coupling regime. In contrast to non-resonant scattering by a localized dielectric surface defect, a strong resonant peak in the scattering field spectrum is predicted and accompanied by two side valleys. The peak height depends nonlinearly on the amplitude of surface plasmon-polariton waves, reflecting the feedback dynamics from a photon-dressed electron-hole plasma inside the quantum dots. This unique behavior in the scattering field …
Anderson Orthogonality as Measurement Backaction in Coupled Quantum Dots
Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia（不列颠哥伦比亚大学斯图尔特·布拉斯量子物质研究所）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia（不列颠哥伦比亚大学物理与天文学系）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University（特拉维夫大学物理与天文学院）；Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev（内盖夫本-古里安大学物理系）
We theoretically investigate phosphorene zigzag nanorribons as a platform for constriction engineering. In the presence of a constriction at the upper edge, quantum confinement of edge protected states reveals resonant tunnelling Breit-Wigner transmission peaks, if the upper edge is uncoupled to the lower edge. Coupling between edges in thin constrictions gives rise to Fano-like and anti-resonances in the transmission spectrum of the system.
We investigated the electron transport property of the InGaAs/GaAs double quantum dots, the electron g-factors of which are different from each other. We found that in a magnetic field, the resonant tunneling is suppressed even if one of the Zeeman sublevels is aligned. This is because the other misaligned Zeeman sublevels limit the total current. A finite broadening of the misaligned sublevel partially relieves this bottleneck effect, and the maximum current is reached when interdot detuning is half the Zeeman energy difference.
