Speaker: Ted Thorbeck, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Abstract: Silicon quantum dots are useful both in making a quantum computer and in charge pumps for electrical standards. A common problem in the Si-SiO2 quantum dot community is that in addition to the electrostatically defined dots we get additional, unintentional dots. In this talk I will discuss how we have been able to determine the location of these unintentional dots within our devices with a precision of a few nanometers. I will then discuss how strain from the gates and the oxide causes unintentional dots in our devices, as well as for other groups working on Si-SiO2 quantum dots. This allows me to recommend methods to reduce the strain, thereby reducing the number of unintentional dots.