Hot-Electron Effects in InAs Nanowire Josephson Junctions

The controlled tailoring of the energy distribution in an electron system opens the way to interesting new physics and device concepts, as demonstrated by research on metallic nanodevices during recent years. Here we investigate how Josephson coupling in a superconductor-InAs nanowire junction can be tuned by means of hot-electron injection and we show that a complete suppression of superconductive effects can be achieved using a power as low as 100 pW. Nanowires offer a novel design freedom as they allow axial and radial heterostructures to be defined as well as control over doping profiles, which can be crucial in the development of devices--such as nanorefrigerators--where precisely controlled and predictable energy barriers are mandatory. Our work provides estimates for unknown key thermal and electrical parameters, such as the electron-phonon coupling, in our InAs nanostructures.

Anisotropies of the g-factor tensor and diamagnetic coefficient in crystal-phase quantum dots in InP nanowires

Crystal-phase low-dimensional structures offer great potential for the implementation of photonic devices of interest for quantum information processing.In this context,unveiling the fundamental parameters of the crystal phase structure is of much relevance for several applications.Here,we report on the anisotropy of the g-factor tensor and diamagnetic coefficient in wurtzite/zincblende(WZ/ZB)crystal-phase quantum dots(QDs)realized in single InP nanowires.The WZ and ZB alternating axial sections in the NWs are identified by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy.The electron(hole)g-factor tensor and the exciton diamagnetic coefficients in WZ/ZB crystal-phase QDs are determined through micro-photoluminescence measurements at low temperature(4.2 K)with different magnetic field configurations,and rationalized by invoking the spin-correlated orbital current model.Our work provides key parameters for band gap engineering and spin states control in crystal-phase low-dimensional structures in nanowires.

Large thermal biasing of individual gated nanostructures

We demonstrate very large and uniform temperature gradients up to about 1 K every 100 nm, in an architecture which is compatible with the field-effect control of the nanostructure under test. The temperature gradients demonstrated greatly exceed those typically obtainable with standard resistive heaters fabricated on top of the oxide layer. The nanoheating platform is demonstrated in the specific case of a short-nanowire device.

Low-temperature quantum transport in CVD-grown single crystal graphene

Chemical vapor deposition （CVD） is typically used for large-scale graphene synthesis for practical applications. However, the inferior electronic properties of CVD graphene are one of the key problems to be solved. Therefore, we present a detailed study on the electronic properties of high-quality single-crystal monolayer graphene. The graphene is grown via CVD on copper, by using a cold-wall reactor, and then transferred to Si/SiO2. Our low-temperature magneto-transport data demonstrate that the characteristics of the single-crystal CVD graphene samples are superior to those of polycrystalline graphene and have a quality which is comparable to that of exfoliated graphene on Si/SiO2. The Dirac point in our best samples occurs at back-gate voltages lower than 10 V, and a maximum mobility of 11,000 cm2/（V.s） is attained. More than 12 flat and discernible half-integer quantum Hall plateaus occur under a high magnetic field on both the electron and hole sides of the Dirac point. At a low magnetic field, the magnetoresistance exhibits a weak localization peak. Using the theory of McCann et al., we obtain inelastic scattering lengths of 〉1 um, even at the charge neutrality point of the samples.

Electrical probing of carrier separation in InAs/InP/GaAsSb core-dualshell nanowires

We investigate the tunnel coupling between the outer p-type GaAsSb shell and the n-type InAs core in catalyst-free InAs/lnP/GaAsSb core-dualshell nanowires.We present a device fabrication protocol based on wet-etching processes on selected areas of the nanostructures that enables multiple configurations of measurements in the same nanowire-based device(i.e.shell-shell,core-core and core-shell).Low-temperature(4.2 K)transport in the shell-shell configuration in nanowires with 5 nm-thick InP barrier reveals a weak negative differential resistance.Differently,when the InP barrier thickness is increased to 10 nm,this negative differential resistance is fully quenched.The electrical resistance between the InAs core and the GaAsSb shell,measured in core-shell configuration,is significantly higher with respect to the resistance of the InAs core and of the GaAsSb shell.The field effect,applied via a back-gate,has an opposite impact on the electrical transport in the core and in the shell portions.Our results show that electron and hole free carriers populate the InAs and GaAsSb regions respectively and indicate InAs/InP/GaAsSb core-dualshell nanowires as an ideal system for the investigation of the physics of interacting electrons and holes at the nanoscale.

Scanning gate imaging of quantum point contacts and the origin of the 0.7 anomaly

The origin of the anomalous transport feature appearing at a conductance G 0.7× （2e2/h） in quasi-lD ballistic devices-the so-called 0.7 anomaly-represents a long standing puzzle. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain it, but a general consensus has not been achieved. Proposed explanations have been based on quantum interference, the Kondo effect, Wigner crystallization, and other phenomena. A key open issue is whether the point defects that can occur in these low-dimensional devices are the physical cause behind this conductance anomaly. Here we adopt a scanning gate microscopy technique to map individual impurity positions in several quasi-lD constrictions and correlate these with conductance characteristics. Our data demonstrate that the 0.7 anomaly can be observed irrespective of the presence of localized defects, and we conclude that the 0.7 anomaly is a fundamental property of low-dimensional systems.