Few-electron Double Quantum Dot Research Articles

Singlet-triplet spin blockade and charge sensing in a few-electron double quantum dot

Singlet-triplet spin blockade in a few-electron lateral double quantum dot is investigated using simultaneous transport and charge-sensing measurements. Transport from the (1,1) to the (0,2) electron occupancy states is strongly suppressed relative to the opposite bias [(0,2) to (1,1)]. At large bias, spin blockade ceases as the (0,2) triplet state enters the transport window, giving a direct measure of exchange splitting as a function of magnetic field. A simple model for current and steady-state charge distribution in spin-blockade conditions is developed and found to be in excellent agreement with experiment.

Tunable few-electron double quantum dots with integrated charge read-out

We report on the realization of few-electron double quantum dots defined in a two-dimensional electron gas by means of surface gates on top of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. Two quantum point contacts (QPCs) are placed in the vicinity of the double quantum dot and serve as charge detectors. These enable determination of the number of conduction electrons on each dot. This number can be reduced to zero, while still allowing transport measurements through the double dot. The coupling between the two dots can be controlled even in the few-electron regime. Microwave radiation is used to pump an electron from one dot to the other by absorption of a single photon. The experiments demonstrate that this quantum dot circuit can serve as a good starting point for a scalable spin-qubit system.

High-frequency manipulation of few-electron double quantum dots—toward spin qubits

We use a photon-assisted tunneling (PAT) technique to study the high-frequency response of one- and two-electron states in a semiconductor vertically coupled double-dot system. In particular, PAT associated with two-electron spin states in the spin-blockade regime is observed up to the absorption of 10 photons, indicating the preservation of long relaxation times and hence the robustness of our electron spin device under strong microwave irradiation. An alternative double-dot structure with greater flexibility in tuning the inter-dot coupling is presented and its transport characteristics are discussed. This structure is proposed for high-frequency control of two-electron spin states, as required for quantum computation schemes using electron spins in quantum dots.

Few-electron quantum dot circuit with integrated charge read out

We report on the realization of a few-electron double quantum dot defined in a two-dimensional electron gas by means of surface gates on top of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. Two quantum point contacts are placed in the vicinity of the double quantum dot and serve as charge detectors. These enable determination of the number of conduction electrons on each dot. This number can be reduced to zero, while still allowing transport measurements through the double dot. Microwave radiation is used to pump an electron from one dot to the other by absorption of a single photon. The experiments demonstrate that this quantum dot circuit can serve as a good starting point for a scalable spin-qubit system.

Influence of mismatch on the addition energy spectra of vertical diatomic artificial molecules

We investigate the dissociation of few-electron circular vertical semiconductor double quantum dot artificial molecules at 0 T as a function of interdot distance. Slight mismatch introduced in the fabrication of the artificial molecules from materials with nominally identical constituent quantum wells induces localization. This offsets the energy levels in the quantum dots by up to 2 meV , and can play a crucial role in the appearance of the addition energy spectra as a function of coupling strength particularly in the weak coupling limit.

Dissociation of vertical semiconductor diatomic artificial molecules.

We investigate the dissociation of few-electron circular vertical semiconductor double quantum dot artificial molecules at 0 T as a function of interdot distance. A slight mismatch introduced in the fabrication of the artificial molecules from nominally identical constituent quantum wells induces localization by offsetting the energy levels in the quantum dots by up to 2 meV, and this plays a crucial role in the appearance of the addition energy spectra as a function of coupling strength particularly in the weak coupling limit.