Numerical simulation of a laterally confined double dot with tunable interaction potential

Recent technological advances have allowed for the construction of small (on the order of 100-1000 nm) systems of confined electrons called quantum dots. Often kept within semiconductor heterostructures, these systems are small enough that the electrons within them occupy states with discrete energy levels. Two single quantum dots can be placed next to each other so as to form a double dot, with a host of special properties. Such properties can be probed if one can design the semiconductor heterostructure containing the double dot so that experimenters can tune the confinement potential of the double dot. To assist in the testing of heterostructures before their actual construction, we have created a numerical simulation program that calculates the electrostatic potential and charge density for a quantum double dot housed in a semiconductor heterostructure. Relaxation techniques were used to solve Poisson's equation for the heterostructure. The Thomas-Fermi approximation was used to calculate the electron density as a function of the spatially varying electrostatic potential.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Physics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Finck, Aaron David Kiyoshi

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Raymond C. Ashoori.

• Physics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32899

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/32899