Quantum devices based on Ⅲ-V compound semiconductors

摘要

Scaling down of feature sizes into the nanometre range is a common trend in advanced silicon and compound semiconductor devices, and the progress of the 'nanofabrication' technology along this line has opened up exciting possibilities of constructing novel quantum devices whose operations are directly based on the quantum mechanics. This paper discusses the present status and key issues of the compound semiconductor quantum devices, introducing and reviewing recent results obtained by the author's group at the Research Center for Interface Quantum Electronics (RCIQE). In quantum devices, wave-particle motions of individual electrons are controlled by artificial quantum structures such as quantum wells, quantum wires, quantum dots and single and multiple tunnelling barriers so as to realize devices with new functions and higher performances. Since electrons manifest predominantly as either wave-nature or particle-nature depending on their environments, one can conceptually envisage two kinds of nanoelectronics in the quantum regime, i.e. 'quantum wave electronics' and 'single electronics'. After giving a brief overview on quantum devices, the paper discusses specific details of Ⅲ-V quantum structure formation by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), formation and control of Ⅲ-V nanostructure surfaces and interfaces, novel Schottky in-plane gate quantum wave devices and, finally, novel Schottky in-plane gate and wrap-gate single electron devices. A particular emphasis is paid on single electronics because of its promising prospects.