Linear and non-linear transport properties through an atomic-size point contact based on oxides two-dimensional electron gas is examined using the tight-binding method and the $\mathbf{k\cdot p}$ approach. The ballistic transport is analyzed in contacts realized at the (001) interface between band insulators $LaAlO_3$ and $SrTiO_3$ by using the Landauer-Büttiker method for many sub-bands derived from three Ti 3d orbitals ($d_{yz}$, $d_{zx}$ and $d_{xy}$) in the presence of an out-of-plane magnetic field. We focus especially on the role played by the atomic spin-orbit coupling and the inversion symmetry breaking term pointing out three transport regimes: the first, at low energies, involving the first $d_{xy}$-like sub-bands, where the conductance quantization is robust; a second one, at intermediate energies, entailing further $d_{xy}$-like sub-bands, where the sub-band splitting induced by the magnetic field is quenched; the third one, where the mixing between light $d_{xy}$-like, heavy $d_{yz}$-like and $d_{zx}$-like sub-bands is so strong that the conductance plateaus turn out to be very narrow. Very good agreement is found with recent experiments exploring the transport properties at low energies.
Quantum point contact with large localized spin: fractional quantization of the ballistic conductance
我们分析了包含大的局域自旋J的量子点接触的电导。如果只有一个传播通道呈现导电，则在弹道电导阶梯上形成额外的平台。该平台处的电导值强烈依赖于J，当J从1/2增加到无穷大时，电导值从3e^2/2 h减小到e^2/h，这与实验观察结果非常一致[D. J. Reilly等人，Phys.Rev.B63，121311（2001）]。
Electric-field effect control of two-dimensional electron gases (2-DEG) has enabled the exploration of nanoscale electron quantum transport in semiconductors. Beyond these classical materials, transition metal-oxide-based structures have d-electronic states favoring the emergence of novel quantum orders absent in conventional semiconductors. In this context, the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface that combines gate-tunable superconductivity and sizeable spin-orbit coupling is emerging as a promising platform to realize topological superconductivity. However, the fabrication of nanodevices in which the el…
Contact effects on transport in magnetite, an archetypal correlated transition metal oxide
多端测量通常被用来检查强相关的电子材料，如过渡金属氧化物的电子性质，而不受接触效应的影响。相比之下，在这项工作中，我们调查的界面性质的Fe $_3$ O $_4$与不同的金属，与接触效应提供了一个窗口的相关氧化物中的物理工作。接触电阻通过四端电气测量作为电源电压和温度的函数来确定。接触电阻随电极金属$ϕ(M)$、$M=$ Cu、Au和Pt的功函数而系统地变化，功函数越高，接触电阻越低。这种趋势和接触电阻与Fe $_3$ O $_4$电阻率成正比的观察结果与将氧化物建模为具有跳跃传输的有效$p$型半导体一致。在偏置驱动的绝缘体-金属转变处的接触电阻值的跳跃具有与$ϕ$（$M$）类似的趋势，与通过电场的电荷间隙闭合的转变机制一致。
In the "ballistic" regime, the transport across a normal metal (N)/superconductor (S) point-contact is dominated by a quantum process called Andreev reflection. Andreev reflection causes an enhancement of the conductance below the superconducting energy gap, and the ratio of the low-bias and the high-bias conductance cannot be greater than 2 when the superconductor is conventional in nature. In this regime, the features associated with Andreev reflection also provide energy and momentum-resolved spectroscopic information about the superconducting phase. Here we theoretically consider various t…
The realization of integrated quantum circuits requires precise on-chip control of charge carriers. Aiming at the coherent coupling of distant nanostructures at zero magnetic field, here we study the ballistic electron transport through two quantum point contacts (QPCs) in series in a three terminal configuration. We enhance the coupling between the QPCs by electrostatic focusing using a field effect lens. To study the emission and collection properties of QPCs in detail we combine the electrostatic focusing with magnetic deflection. Comparing our measurements with quantum mechanical and class…
Two dimensional electron gases based on SrTiO$_3$ are an intriguing platform for exploring mesoscopic superconductivity combined with spin-orbit coupling, offering electrostatic tunability from insulator to metal to superconductor within a single material. So far, however, quantum effects in SrTiO$_3$ nanostructures have been complicated by disorder. Here we introduce a facile approach to achieving high mobility and patterning gate-tunable structures in SrTiO$_3$, and use it to demonstrate ballistic constrictions with clean normal state conductance quantization. Conductance plateaus show two-f…
We study the superconducting proximity effect in an InAs nanowire contacted by Ta-based superconducting electrodes. Using local bottom gates, we control the potential landscape along the nanowire, tuning its conductance to a quasi-ballistic regime. At high magnetic field ($B$), we observe approximately quantized conductance plateaus associated with the first two spin-polarized one-dimensional modes. For $B < 1$ T, the onset of superconductivity occurs in concomitance with the development of sizeable charge localization leading to a 0.7-type conductance anomaly. In this regime, the proximity su…
The effects of contact geometry and ideality on InGaAs and Si nano-scale n-channel FinFET performance are studied using a quantum-corrected semi-classical Monte Carlo method. Illustrative end, saddle/slot, and raised source/drain contacts were modeled, and with ideal transmissivity and reduced transmissivity more consistent with experimental contact resistivities. Far-from-equilibrium degenerate statistics, quantum-confinement effects on carrier distributions in real-space and among energy valleys, quasi-ballistic transport inaccessible through drift-diffusion and hydrodynamic simulations, and…
Influence of e-e scattering on the temperature dependence of the resistance of a classical ballistic point contact in a two-dimensional electron system
We introduce a non-linear frequency dependent D+1 terminal conductance that characterizes a D dimensional Fermi gas, generalizing the Landauer conductance in D=1. For a 2D ballistic conductor we show that this conductance is quantized and probes the Euler characteristic of the Fermi sea. We critically address the roles of electrical contacts and of Fermi liquid interactions, and we propose experiments on 2D Dirac materials such as graphene using a triple point contact geometry.
Proposals for studying topological superconductivity and Majorana bound states in nanowires proximity coupled to superconductors require that transport in the nanowire is ballistic. Previous work on hybrid nanowire-superconductor systems has shown evidence for Majorana bound states, but these experiments were also marked by disorder, which disrupts ballistic transport. In this letter, we demonstrate ballistic transport in InSb nanowires interfaced directly with superconducting Al by observing quantized conductance at zero-magnetic field. Additionally, we demonstrate that the nanowire is proxim…
The work presents the extended theoretical model of the electrical conductance in non-magnetic and magnetic nano-size point contacts. The developed approach describes diffusive, quasi-ballistic, ballistic and quantum regimes of the spin-resolved conductance. It is based on the electron transport through metallic junction within approach of the circular constriction. The model provides unified description of the contact resistance from Maxwell diffusive through the ballistic to purely quantum transport regimes without any residual terms depending from the scale. An application are given for exp…
Newly emerged materials from the family of Heuslers and complex oxides exhibit finite bandgaps and ferromagnetic behavior with Curie temperatures much higher than even room temperature. In this work, using the semiclassical top-of-the-barrier FET model, we explore the operation of a spin-MOSFET that utilizes such ferromagnetic semiconductors as channel materials, in addition to ferromagnetic source/drain contacts. Such a device could retain the spin polarization of injected electrons in the channel, the loss of which limits the operation of traditional spin transistors with non-ferromagnetic c…
High-mobility complex-oxide heterostructures and nanostructures offer new opportunities for extending the paradigm of quantum transport beyond the realm of traditional III-V or carbon-based materials. Recent quantum transport investigations with LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$-based quantum dots have revealed the existence of a strongly correlated phase in which electrons form spin-singlet pairs without becoming superconducting. Here we report evidence for micrometer-scale ballistic transport of electron pairs in quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ nanowire cavities. In the paired phase, …
Hybrid graphene-superconductor devices have attracted much attention since the early days of graphene research. So far, these studies have been limited to the case of diffusive transport through graphene with poorly defined and modest quality graphene-superconductor interfaces, usually combined with small critical magnetic fields of the superconducting electrodes. Here we report graphene based Josephson junctions with one-dimensional edge contacts of Molybdenum Rhenium. The contacts exhibit a well defined, transparent interface to the graphene, have a critical magnetic field of 8 Tesla at 4 Ke…
Ultrafast photocurrent experiments are performed on semiconducting, single-walled carbon nanotubes under a resonant optical excitation of their subbands. The photogenerated excitons are dissociated at large electric fields and the resulting transport of the charge carriers turns out to be ballistic. Thermionic emission processes to the contacts dominate the photocurrent. The charge current without laser excitation is well described by a Fowler-Nordheim tunneling. The time-averaged photocurrent changes polarity as soon as sufficient charge carriers are injected from the contacts, which can be e…
We report on the observation of quantum transport and interference in a graphene device that is attached with a pair of split gates to form an electrostatically-defined quantum point contact (QPC). In the low magnetic field regime, the resistance exhibited Fabry-Pérot (FP) resonances due to np'n (pn'p) cavities formed by the top gate. In the quantum Hall (QH) regime with a high magnetic field, the edge states governed the phenomena, presenting a unique condition where the edge channels of electrons and holes along a p-n junction acted as a solid-state analogue of a monochromatic light beam. We…
Spin injection in high-quality epitaxial Mn5Ge3 Schottky contacts on n-type Ge has been investigated using a three-terminal Hanle effect measurement. Clear Hanle and inverted Hanle signals with features characteristic of spin accumulation and spin precession are observed up to 200 K. Strikingly, the observed spin voltage is several orders of magnitude larger than predicted by the theory of spin injection and diffusive spin transport. Since the devices have no oxide tunnel barrier, the discrepancy between theory and experiments cannot be explained by the often-invoked spin accumulation in local…
The Josephson effect in ballistic point contacts between single-band and multi-band superconductors was investigated. It was found that in the case of Josephson junctions formed by a single-band and an $s_\pm$-wave two-band superconductor as well as by a single-band and a three-band superconductor the junctions become frustrated, demonstrating the $ϕ$-contact properties. Depending on the ground state of a three-band superconductor with broken time-reversal symmetry (BTRS), the Josephson junction can have from one to three energy minima, some of which can be locally stable. We also study the be…
We show that a 3-port interferometer, defined by quantum point contacts in a two-dimensional electron gas, and working in the quantum Hall regime, can implement different logic gates at each port depending on the energy of charge carriers and the operating conditions. In all cases the input logic states are encoded in the potentials applied on the quantum point contacts, while the output logic states are encoded in the values of the overall transmission coefficients at each port. In addition, the output of such compact configurations can be reprogrammed by combining two 3-port interferometers.
We study nonlinear transport and non-equilibrium current noise in quasi-classical point contacts (PCs) defined in a low-density high-quality two-dimensional electron system in GaAs. At not too high bias voltages $V$ across the PC the noise temperature is determined by a Joule heat power and almost independent on the PC resistance that can be associated with a self-heating of the electronic system. This commonly accepted scenario breaks down at increasing $V$, where we observe extra noise accompanied by a strong decrease of the PC's differential resistance. The spectral density of the extra noi…
Geometric oscillations of local Hall and Nernst effects in ballistic graphene at weak magnetic fields
Abrikosov Center for Theoretical Physics, MIPT（莫斯科物理技术学院阿布里科索夫理论物理中心）；Institute of Physics of DFRS of the RAS（俄罗斯科学院达吉斯坦共和国科学中心物理研究所）；School of Science, Westlake University（西湖大学理学院）
We demonstrate the emergence of classical features in electronic quantum transport for the scanning gate microscopy response in a cavity defined by a quantum point contact and a micron-sized circular reflector. The branches in electronic flow characteristic of a quantum point contact opening on a two-dimensional electron gas with weak disorder are folded by the reflector, yielding a complex spatial pattern. Considering the deflection of classical trajectories by the scanning gate tip allows to establish simple relationships of the scanning pattern, which are in agreement with recent experiment…
We fabricate Josephson field-effect-transistors in germanium quantum wells contacted by superconducting aluminum and demonstrate supercurrents carried by holes that extend over junction lengths of several micrometers. In superconducting quantum point contacts we observe discretization of supercurrent, as well as Fabry-Perot resonances, demonstrating ballistic transport. The magnetic field dependence of the supercurrent follows a clear Fraunhofer-like pattern and Shapiro steps appear upon microwave irradiation. Multiple Andreev reflections give rise to conductance enhancement and evidence a tra…
Numerous experimental and theoretical studies have focused on low-dimensional systems locally perturbed by the biased tip of a scanning force microscope. In all cases either open or closed weakly gate-tunable nanostructures have been investigated, such as quantum point contacts, open or closed quantum dots, etc. We study the behaviour of the conductance of a quantum point contact with a gradually forming adjacent cavity in series under the influence of a scanning gate. Here, an initially open quantum point contact system gradually turns into a closed cavity system. We observe branches and inte…
We explore ballistic regime quantum transport characteristics of oxide-embedded crossing and kinked silicon nanowires (NWs) within a large-scale empirical pseudopotential electronic structure framework, coupled to the Kubo-Greenwood transport analysis. A real-space wave function study is undertaken and the outcomes are interpreted together with the findings of ballistic transport calculations. This reveals that ballistic transport edge lies tens to hundreds of millielectron volts above the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, with a substantial number of localized states appearing in between, …
In bulk semiconductor materials, the insulator-metal transition (IMT) is governed by the concentration of conduction electrons. Meanwhile, even when fabricated from metallic building blocks, nanocrystal films are often insulating with inter-nanocrystal contacts acting as electron transport bottlenecks. Using a library of transparent conducting tin-doped indium oxide nanocrystal films with varied electron concentration, size, and contact area, we test candidate criteria for the IMT and establish a phase diagram for electron transport behavior. From variable temperature conductivity measurements…
In this letter we report on the electrical transport properties of Bi$_4$Te$_3$ in a Josephson junction geometry using superconducting Al electrodes with a Ti interdiffusion barrier. Bi$_4$Te$_3$ is proposed to be a dual topological insulator, for which due to time-reversal and mirror symmetry both a strong topological insulator phase as well as a crystalline topological phase co-exist. The formation of a supercurrent through the Bi$_4$Te$_3$ layer is explained by a two-step process. First, due to the close proximity of the Al/Ti electrodes a superconducting gap is induced within the Bi$_4$Te$…
We study coherent transport and bound-state formation of Bogoliubov quasiparticles in a high-mobility In$_{0.75}%$Ga$_{0.25}$As two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) coupled to a superconducting Nb electrode by means of a quantum point contact (QPC) as a tunable single-mode probe. Below the superconducting critical temperature of Nb, the QPC shows a single-channel conductance greater than the conductance quantum $2e^{2}/h$ at zero bias, which indicates the presence of Andreev-reflected quasiparticles, time-reversed states of the injected electron, returning back through the QPC. The marked sensi…
