Understanding conditions for the single electron regime in 28 nm FD-SOI quantum dots: Interpretation of experimental data with 3D quantum TCAD simulations

Abstract

Single electrons trapped in quantum dots hosted in silicon nanostructures are a promising platform for the implementation of quantum technologies. In this study, we investigated the required conditions to attain the single-electron regime in an Ultra-Thin Body and Buried oxide (UTBB) Fully Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FD-SOI) quantum dot device fabricated using the standard manufacturing process of STMicroelectronics. The cryogenic temperature operation of the quantum dot device is simulated and analyzed using the 3D Quantum Technology Computer Aided Design (QTCAD) software developed by Nanoacademic Technologies, achieving convergence down to 1.4 K. We report here simulations exploring single-electron occupancy of a single side-gate activated corner quantum dot and compare them to experimental data collected from the measurements on a device with the same geometry.