Title :
Can single electron effects be directly observed in Si quantum dots array at room temperature?
Author :
Yu, I.W. ; Chen, K.J. ; Wu, L.C. ; Dai, M. ; Li, W. ; Huang, X.F.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys., Nanjing Univ., China
Abstract :
We report a direct observation of Coulomb blockade and quantum confinement effects in the room-temperature current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of Si quantum dots (Si-QDs) array (with a mean diameter of 6 nm), which is embedded in the SiO2/Si-QDs array/SiO2/n+-Si (100) structure and elaborated in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system by layer-by-layer technique and in situ plasma oxidation. The I-V curve exhibits a "sharp-edged bulge-like" peak structure, which differs remarkably from the peaks and the staircases reported for the case of single QD. Moreover, quantum conductance phenomenon in the I-V characteristics has been found at the onsets of the peaks in the I-V characteristics.
Keywords :
Coulomb blockade; oxidation; plasma CVD; semiconductor quantum dots; silicon; tunnelling; 6 nm; Coulomb blockade effect; Si quantum dots array; SiO2; SiO2/n+-Si 100 structure; current-voltage characteristics; in situ plasma oxidation; layer-by-layer technique; plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system; quantum conductance phenomenon; quantum confinement effect; room temperature; single electron charging tunneling; single electron effects; Atomic force microscopy; Electrons; Oxidation; Plasma chemistry; Plasma confinement; Plasma temperature; Potential well; Quantum dots; Tunneling; US Department of Transportation;
Conference_Titel :
Solid-State and Integrated Circuits Technology, 2004. Proceedings. 7th International Conference on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8511-X
DOI :
10.1109/ICSICT.2004.1435090
