Inversion of hysteresis in quantum dot controlled quantum-wire transistor

Abstract

In a quantum-wire transistor, pronounced floating-gate function of quantum dots is demonstrated with large threshold hysteresis exceeding 1.5 V. The charge state of the quantum dots is electrically controlled and, by applying a critical bias voltage along the quantum wire, the charging mechanism of the quantum dots is deactivated or, for bias voltages above this critical bias point, even inverted. It is shown that the charging as well as discharging of the quantum dots can be selectively switched off; i.e., the floating-gate function of the quantum dots is suppressed. The inversion of the hysteresis is explained within the framework of a capacitor model and the control of the charging mechanism is attributed to a dynamic gate efficiency of the quantum wire, which can be either larger or smaller than the quantum dot gate efficiency.