Quantum Point Contact Research Articles

Resistively Detected NMR Lineshapes in a Local Filling ν<1 Quantum Hall Breakdown

Resistively‐detected nuclear magnetic resonance (RDNMR) is a unique characterization method enabling highly sensitive NMR detection for a single quantum nanostructure, such as a quantum point contact (QPC). In many studies, dynamic nuclear polarization and RDNMR detection are used in a quantum Hall breakdown regime of a local QPC filling factor of 1 (νqpc = 1). However, the RDNMR lineshapes are complicated and still not fully understood yet. Herein, the nuclear spins are systematically polarized by current pumping from the close vicinity of the νqpc = 1 conductance plateau all the way down to pinch‐off point, providing clear evidence that the spin‐flip scattering between two edge channels at the lowest Landau level still occurs in the constriction even when it is close to the pinch off point. The collected RDNMR spectra reveal two sets of distinguished features. First, in a strong to intermediate tunneling regime, we observe an ordinary resistance dip lineshape with snake‐like transition frequencies, indicative of spatial modulation of electron density in the QPC. Second, in a weak tunneling regime, the spectrum turns into a dispersive lineshape, which is interpreted due to the build‐up of two sets of nuclear spin polarization that are in contact with different electron spin polarization.

Homemade-HEMT-based transimpedance amplifier for high-resolution shot-noise measurements.

We report a cryogenic transimpedance amplifier (TA) suitable for cross-correlation current-noise measurements. The TA comprises homemade high-electron-mobility transistors with high transconductance and low noise characteristics, fabricated in an AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure. The low input-referred noise and wide frequency band of the TA lead to a high resolution in current-noise measurements. The TA's low input impedance suppresses unwanted crosstalk between two distinct currents from a sample, justifying the advantage of the TA for cross-correlation measurements. We demonstrate the high resolution of a TA-based experimental setup by measuring the shot noise generated at a quantum pointcontact in a quantum Hall system.

Probing long-range current-carrying edge modes by two quantum point contacts

The origin of anomalous current-carrying edge states in quasi-two-dimensional quantum samples with an insulating interior is currently mysterious. We propose to address this issue using a hybrid setup, an interferometric phase-sensitive configuration of two independent scanning probe tips, normal and superconducting, able to realize the quantum interference effect of quasiparticle currents moving in different directions along the metallic-like one-dimensional near-boundary channels. To simulate the dissipationless edge currents, we consider a quantum material with a simple Corbino disk geometry and analyze how the differential conductance spectrum depends on the distance between the two tips, the applied voltage bias, and the presence of a magnetic field. An essential difference between classical and quantum expectations should clarify the enigmatic origin of the long-range conducting modes observed in different materials at low temperatures. Strong dependence on the applied magnetic field can be useful for practical implementation of the quantum effects associated with the phase difference of electron wave functions in the ring geometry.

Observation of spin-space quantum transport induced by an atomic quantum point contact

Quantum transport is ubiquitous in physics. So far, quantum transport between terminals has been extensively studied in solid state systems from the fundamental point of views such as the quantized conductance to the applications to quantum devices. Recent works have demonstrated a cold-atom analog of a mesoscopic conductor by engineering a narrow conducting channel with optical potentials, which opens the door for a wealth of research of atomtronics emulating mesoscopic electronic devices and beyond. Here we realize an alternative scheme of the quantum transport experiment with ytterbium atoms in a two-orbital optical lattice system. Our system consists of a multi-component Fermi gas and a localized impurity, where the current can be created in the spin space by introducing the spin-dependent interaction with the impurity. We demonstrate a rich variety of localized-impurity-induced quantum transports, which paves the way for atomtronics exploiting spin degrees of freedom.

Highly superlinear giant terahertz photoconductance in GaAs quantum point contacts in the deep tunneling regime

A highly superlinear in radiation intensity photoconductance induced by terahertz laser radiation with moderate intensities has been observed in quantum point contacts made of GaAs quantum wells operating in the deep tunneling regime. For very low values of the normalized dark conductance $G_{\rm dark}/ G_0 \approx 10^{-6}$, with the conductance quantum $G_0=2e^2/h$, the photoconductance scales exponentially with the radiation intensity, so that already at $ 100 \text{ mW}/\text{cm}^2$ it increases by almost four orders of magnitude. This effect is observed for a radiation electric field oriented along the source drain direction. We provide model considerations of the effect and attribute it to the variation of the tunneling barrier height by the radiation field made possible by local diffraction effects. We also demonstrate that cyclotron resonance due to an external magnetic field manifests itself in the photoconductance completely suppressing the photoresponse.

Investigating the current distribution of parallel-configured quantum point contacts under quantum Hall conditions

Electric-field-controlled charge transport is a crucial concept of modern computers, embodied, namely in field-effect transistors. The metallic gate voltage controls the charge population. Thus, it is possible to define logical elements which are the key to computational processes. Here, we investigate a similar system defined by metallic gates inducing quasi-one-dimensional transport channels on a high-mobility electron system in the presence of a strong perpendicular magnetic field. Firstly, we solve the three-dimensional Poisson equation, self-consistently imposing relevant boundary conditions and use the output as an initial condition to calculate charge density and potential distribution in the plane of a two-dimensional electron system in the presence of an external magnetic field. Subsequently, we impose an external current and obtain the spatial distribution of the transport charges, considering the various magnetic field and gate voltage strengths at sufficiently low (<10 Kelvin) temperatures. Finally, we show that the magnetic field breaks the spatial symmetry of the current distribution, whereas voltage applied to metallic gates determines the scattering processes.

Tunneling Hamiltonian analysis of DC Josephson currents in a weakly-interacting Bose-Einstein condensate

Atomtronics experiments with ultracold atomic gases allow us to explore quantum transport phenomena of a weakly-interacting Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Here, we focus on two-terminal transport of such a BEC in the vicinity of zero temperature. By using the tunnel Hamiltonian and Bogoliubov theory, we obtain a DC Josephson current expression in the BEC and apply it to experimentally relevant situations such as quantum point contact and planar junction. Due to the absence of Andreev bound states but the presence of couplings associated with condensation elements, a current-phase relation in the BEC is found to be different from one in an s-wave superconductor. In addition, it turns out that the DC Josephson current in the BEC depends on the sign of tunneling elements, which allows to realize the so-called $\pi$ junction by using techniques of artificial gauge fields.

Resistive properties of Janson’s point contacts in the conditions of polarization inversion

The sensitive element of a new quantum sensor generation is the Janson dendritic point contact. Analytes that are in the space surrounding the sensitive element are able to interact with the freshly formed surface of the conduction channel of the Janson quantum point contact, as well as with the surface of the dendrite during its growth. This interaction provides the influence of the substances under study on the configuration of the output characteristic of the sensor, represented by the system conductivity histogram. The conductivity histogram is built on the basis of the chrono-resistogram of the self-oscillating point-contact cyclic switchover effect, which is directly recorded under self-oscillation conditions. In the structure of the sensor element, Janson's dendritic point contact is immersed in an electrolyte and in an electric field forms a chrono-resistogram, which depends on the environment composition. The paper considers one of the aspects of such chrono-resistograms formation. The features of a gapless electrochemical system in the process of realizing the point-contact cyclic switchover effect are analyzed. Modeling the sensitive element in the form of a gapless electrode system allowed explaining the mechanism and dynamics of the transition “Janson point contact – dendrite and counter electrode in the electrolyte”. The most important parameter of the gapless electrode system is the coordinate of the polarization inversion boundary. It is shown that the idea of the coordinate of the polarization inversion boundary plays a fundamental role in modeling the resistive properties of a point-contact system and its lifetime. The synthesized mathematical models describe well the experimentally obtained dependences of the resistance on the exposure time of the nanostructure in an electric field. It was found that the dependence of the contact resistance on the exposure time, obtained under the assumption of a linear distribution of the anodic polarization along the main axis of the conduction channel, is described by a differential equation in which the growth rate of resistance is directly proportional to the cube of this resistance. The materials obtained make it possible to purposefully optimize the design parameters and operating conditions of sensor devices based on Janson point contacts for the analysis of complex gaseous and liquid mixtures.

Conformal maps of viscous electron flow in the Gurzhi crossover

We investigate the impact of geometric constriction on the viscous flow of electron liquid through quantum point contacts. We provide analysis on the electric potential distribution given the setup of a slit configuration and use the method of conformal mapping to obtain analytical results. The potential profile can be tested and contrasted experimentally with the scanning tunneling potentiometry technique. We discuss intricate physics that underlies the Gurzhi effect, i.e., the enhancement of conductivity in the viscous flow, and compare results for different boundary conditions. In addition, we calculate the temperature dependence of the momentum relaxation time as a result of impurity assisted quasiballistic interference effects and discuss various correlational corrections that lead to the violation of Matthiessen's rule in the hydrodynamic regime. We caution that spatially inhomogeneous profiles of current in the Gurzhi crossover between Ohmic and Stokes flows might also appear in the nonhydrodynamic limit where nonlocality plays an important role. This conclusion is corroborated by calculation of dispersive conductivity in the weakly impure limit.

Effective Land\xe9 factors for an electrostatically defined quantum point contact in silicene

The transconductance and effective Landé g^* factors for a quantum point contact defined in silicene by the electric field of a split gate is investigated. The strong spin–orbit coupling in buckled silicene reduces the g^* factor for in-plane magnetic field from the nominal value 2 to around 1.2 for the first- to 0.45 for the third conduction subband. However, for perpendicular magnetic field we observe an enhancement of g^* factors for the first subband to 5.8 in nanoribbon with zigzag and to 2.5 with armchair edge. The main contribution to the Zeeman splitting comes from the intrinsic spin–orbit coupling defined by the Kane–Mele form of interaction.

Quantized critical supercurrent in SrTiO 3 -based quantum point contacts

Superconductivity in SrTiO3 occurs at remarkably low carrier densities and therefore, unlike conventional superconductors, can be controlled by electrostatic gates. Here, we demonstrate nanoscale weak links connecting superconducting leads, all within a single material, SrTiO3. Ionic liquid gating accumulates carriers in the leads, and local electrostatic gates are tuned to open the weak link. These devices behave as superconducting quantum point contacts with a quantized critical supercurrent. This is a milestone toward establishing SrTiO3 as a single-material platform for mesoscopic superconducting transport experiments that also intrinsically contains the necessary ingredients to engineer topological superconductivity.

SPICE Simulation of RRAM-Based Cross-Point Arrays Using the Dynamic Memdiode Model

We thoroughly investigate the performance of the Dynamic Memdiode Model (DMM) when used for simulating the synaptic weights in large RRAM-based cross-point arrays (CPA) intended for neuromorphic computing. The DMM is in line with Prof. Chua’s memristive devices theory, in which the hysteresis phenomenon in electroformed metal-insulator-metal structures is represented by means of two coupled equations: one equation for the current-voltage characteristic of the device based on an extension of the quantum point-contact (QPC) model for dielectric breakdown and a second equation for the memory state, responsible for keeping track of the previous history of the device. By considering ex-situ training of the CPA aimed at classifying the handwritten characters of the MNIST database, we evaluate the performance of a Write-Verify iterative scheme for setting the crosspoint conductances to their target values. The total programming time, the programming error, and the inference accuracy obtained with such writing scheme are investigated in depth. The role played by parasitic components such as the line resistance as well as some CPA’s particular features like the dynamical range of the memdiodes are discussed. The interrelationship between the frequency and amplitude values of the write pulses is explored in detail. In addition, the effect of the resistance shift for the case of a CPA programmed with no errors is studied for a variety of input signals, providing a design guideline for selecting the appropriate pulse’s amplitude and frequency.

Noise-robust classification of single-shot electron spin readouts using a deep neural network

Single-shot readout of charge and spin states by charge sensors such as quantum point contacts and quantum dots are essential technologies for the operation of semiconductor spin qubits. The fidelity of the single-shot readout depends both on experimental conditions such as signal-to-noise ratio, system temperature, and numerical parameters such as threshold values. Accurate charge sensing schemes that are robust under noisy environments are indispensable for developing a scalable fault-tolerant quantum computation architecture. In this study, we present a novel single-shot readout classification method that is robust to noises using a deep neural network (DNN). Importantly, the DNN classifier is automatically configured for spin-up and spin-down traces in any noise environment by tuning the trainable parameters using the datasets of charge transition signals experimentally obtained at a charging line. Moreover, we verify that our DNN classification is robust under noisy environment in comparison to the two conventional classification methods used for charge and spin state measurements in various quantum dot experiments.

Signature of Spin-Resolved Quantum Point Contact in p-Type Trilayer WSe2 van der Waals Heterostructure.

In this study, an electrostatically induced quantum confinement structure, so-called quantum point contact, has been realized in a p-type trilayer tungsten diselenide-based van der Waals heterostructure with modified van der Waals contact method with degenerately doped transition metal dichalcogenide crystals. Clear quantized conductance and pinch-off state through the one-dimensional confinement were observed by dual-gating of split gate electrodes and top gate. Conductance plateaus were observed at a step of e2/h in addition to quarter plateaus such as 0.25 × 2e2/h at a finite bias voltage condition indicating the signature of intrinsic spin-polarized quantum point contact.

High electron mobility and low noise quantum point contacts in an ultra-shallow all-epitaxial metal gate GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs heterostructure

The mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in shallow GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs heterostructures is strongly suppressed by unwanted Coulomb scattering from surface charge, likely located in native surface oxides that form after the wafer is removed from the crystal growth system. Here, we show that this native surface oxide can be eliminated by growing an epitaxial aluminum gate before removing the wafer from the growth chamber. We fabricate accumulation mode devices on two wafers with nearly identical structures and growth conditions: one with an epitaxial aluminum gate 35 nm above the channel and another with an ex situ metal gate deposited on an aluminum oxide dielectric. Low temperature transport measurements show that the epitaxial gate design greatly reduces surface charge scattering, with up to 2.5× increase in mobility. Despite the ultra-shallow 2DEG (35 nm), the mobility remains high even at low carrier densities. Finally, we show that the epitaxial aluminum gate can be patterned to make nanostructures by fabricating a quantum point contact that shows robust and reproducible 1D conductance quantization, with extremely low charge noise.

Theory of Coulomb blockaded transport in realistic Majorana nanowires

Coulomb blockaded transport of topological superconducting nanowires provides an opportunity to probe the localization of states at both ends of the system in a two-terminal geometry. In addition, it provides a way for checking for subgap states away from the leads. At the same time, Coulomb blockade transport is difficult to analyze because of the interacting nature of the problem arising from the nonperturbative Coulomb interaction inherent in the phenomenon. Here we show that the Coulomb blockade transport can be modeled at the same level of complexity as quantum point contact tunneling that has routinely been used in mesoscopic physics to understand nanowire experiments provided we consider the regime where the tunneling rate is below the equilibration rate of the nanowire. This assumption leads us to a generalized Meir-Wingreen formula for the tunnel conductance which we use to study various features of the nanowire such as Andreev bound states, self-energy, and soft gap. We anticipate that our theory will provide a route to interpret Coulomb blockade transport in hybrid Majorana systems as resulting from features of the nanowire, such as Andreev bound states and soft gaps.

Scanning probe-induced thermoelectrics in a quantum point contact

We study three-terminal thermoelectric transport in a two-dimensional Quantum Point Contact (QPC) connected to left and right electronic reservoirs, as well as a third one represented by a scanning probe tip. The latter acts as a voltage probe exchanging heat with the system but no charges on average. The thermoelectric coefficients are calculated numerically within the Landauer–Büttiker formalism in the low-temperature and linear response regimes. We find tip-induced oscillations of the local and non-local thermopowers and study their dependence on the QPC opening. If the latter is tuned on a conductance plateau, the system behaves as a perfect thermoelectric diode: for some tip positions, the charge current through the QPC, driven by a local Seebeck effect, can flow in one direction only.

Quantum point contact galvanically coupled to planar superconducting resonator: a shot-noise-limited broad-band electrical amplifier

Probing single charge dynamics in solids can give insights into various quantum transport phenomena, most of which are fragile and short-time-scaled. Detection of these events in real-time requires a mesoscopic electrical amplifier with unprecedented sensitivity and operational bandwidth. In this work, we explore a hybrid electrical amplifier consisting of a semiconducting quantum point contact galvanically coupled to a superconducting λ/2 transmission-line resonator for ultra-fast and ultra-sensitive charge amplification. The resonator, made of aluminium with a coplanar waveguide geometry, is designed to operate at its first harmonic resonant mode ∼3.4 GHz, where the reflected power from the resonator is amplitude-modulated by the conductance changes in the quantum point contact channel. From the sidebands of the amplitude modulated reflected signal we extract a conductance sensitivity of ). This sensitivity translates to a unit signal-to-noise measurement time ∼1.62 ns for a variation of 0.01 ( in the conductance. From the analysis of the noise characteristics of the device, we find that up to a few MHz of signal frequency the sensitivity is limited by the photon assisted shot-noise associated with the electron tunnelling in the QPC channel. The optimization of various operational parameters of the device reveals a bandwidth of ∼155 MHz which corresponds to a rise-time ∼2.2 ns. Both the sensitivity and bandwidth that we obtain are greater by an order compared to the existing reports. In addition, the device also exhibits very good sensitivities up to a measurable frequency of 240 MHz. The extremely high sensitivity, shot-noise limited detection, ultra-fast operation reaching the nanosecond time-scales, and the circuit QED architecture makes this scheme an attractive choice for single charge detection and counting experiments for spin-qubit readout and quantum electrical metrology.

Significant energy relaxation of quantum dot emitted hot electrons

Mesoscopic quantum dots (QDs) are ubiquitous in quantum devices as reliable sources of hot electrons. However, we have observed an unexpectedly significant energy relaxation of QD-emitted hot electrons up to $\ensuremath{\approx}55%$ of its excitation $\ensuremath{\le}1.5\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$ from the Fermi level. The energetics of hot electrons were obtained through transverse magnetic focusing over a few microns using both QD and quantum point contact (QPC) emitters. Unlike the QPC counterparts, QD emissions deviated substantially from Fermi gas predictions---the focusing peak appeared at lower magnetic fields, and excessive broadening was observed. The phenomenon was modeled by a capacitive interaction transferring energy from the hot electron to the QD. Model simulations reproduced the key experimental features, implying the presence of a strong yet overlooked relaxation mechanism that is intrinsic to QD emissions. Our observation calls for the prudent use of QDs as single electron sources.

Low-Frequency Microwave Response of a Quantum Point Contact

Low-Frequency Microwave Response of a Quantum Point Contact