ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES OF A SILICON QUANTUM-DOT DIODE

The electrical properties of a diode consisting of nanoscale silicon q uantum dots embedded in an amorphous silicon dioxide matrix are presen ted in terms of an equivalent circuit. The division of the applied bia s between the quantum dot-silicon dioxide layer and the nondegenerate silicon substrate, and the magnitude of the coulomb blockade due to ch arged electron traps in the quantum dots are determined from the equiv alent circuit. Coulomb blockade is important because it contributes to both the large energy separation between successive quantum states, a nd the applied bias at which quantum effects are first observed.