Quantum-size effects on the characteristics of single-electron tunneling

Effects of single-electron tunneling charging and Coulomb blockade in a cluster structure (molecular transistor) with regard to the quantization of electron levels in an island electrode are investigated. The spectrum of electrons is calculated for small disk-shaped clusters. Restrictions connected with the Coulomb instability of the cluster and electron relaxation are introduced in the theory. The current gap and its voltage asymmetry are calculated for single-electron transistors based on small gold clusters. The effect of the cluster shape on the current gap is investigated.     

Comment on the electron-hole droplet condensation in direct gap semiconductors

The electron-hole droplet nucleation in highly excited direct gap semiconductors is a non-equilibrium phase transition of second order. Within the framework of a Fokker - Planck approximation modifications of the thermodynamic phase diagram and the cluster distribution function are calculated. Due to the short lifetime of the electronic excitations only very small electron - hole clusters can be formed.     

Heating of deuterium clusters by a superatomic ultra-short laser pulse

The mechanisms of heating of the electronic component of large deuterium clusters by a super-atomic ultra-short laser pulse field are considered. During pulse rise, the so-called “vacuum heating” plays the determining role. Electrons escaping from a cluster into the vacuum with a low energy return back in a time equal to the period of the laser under laser field action. The returning electrons have a higher energy (on the order of the vibrational energy in the laser radiation field), which causes cluster heating. As the laser field increases, the electronic temperature largely grows at the expense of decreasing the Coulomb potential energy of electron repulsion because of a decrease in the number of electrons. The dynamics of above-barrier cluster ionization at the leading edge of a superatomic laser pulse is calculated. The results are discussed in the light of recent experiments aimed at creating desktop sources of monoenergetic neutrons formed as a result of the fusion of deuterium nuclei in a cluster plasma.     

Metallic ferromagnetism in the Hubbard model: a rigorous example

We present the first rigorous example of the Hubbard model in any dimension which exhibits metallic ferromagnetism. The model is a genuine Hubbard model with short-range hopping and on-site Coulomb repulsion, and has many single-electron bands. In the limit where the band gap and the Coulomb repulsion become infinite, we prove that the ground states are completely ferromagnetic and at the same time conducting.     

Single-electron pumping in a ZnO single-nanobelt quantum dot transistor

Diluted magnetic semiconductors(DMSs)have traditionally been employed to implement spin-based quantum computing and quantum information processing.However,their low Curie temperature is a major hurdle in their use in this field,which creates the necessity for wide bandgap DMSs operating at room temperature.In view of this,a single-electron transistor(SET)with a global back-gate was built using a wide bandgap ZnO nanobelt(NB).Clear Coulomb oscillations were observed at 4.2 K.The periodicity of the Coulomb diamonds indicates that the Coulomb oscillations arise from single quantum dots of uniform size,whereas quasi-periodic Coulomb diamonds correspond to the contribution of multi-dots present in the ZnO NB.By applying an AC signal to the global back-gate across a Coulomb peak with varying frequencies,single-electron pumping was observed;the increase in current was equal to the production of electron charge and frequency.The current accuracy of about 1%for both single-and double-electron pumping was achieved at a high frequency of 25 MHz.This accurate single-electron pumping makes the ZnO NB SET suitable for single-spin injection and detection,which has great potential for applications in quantum information technology.     

Structural and electronic properties of V, Nb and Ta nanoclusters by tight-binding molecular dynamics simulations

We present tight-binding molecular dynamics (TBMD) calculations on V, Nb and Ta nanoclusters with N = 15, 65, 175 and 369 atoms. We found that rhombic dodecahedra are energetically favoured over rhombic hexahedra and icosahedra, with V forming the most compact cluster with the gyration radius increasing with the cluster size. In addition, from the calculated electronic density of states we found that the cluster size plays an important role in the HOMO-LUMO gap and that an increase in cluster size results in enhancement of the electronic density around the Fermi level. Furthermore, we found that the small clusters (N = 15, 65) exhibit energy gap that persists even at 900 K. These findings originate from charge transfer occurring between the inner and outer cluster atoms; interestingly, we found that in the small N = 15, 65 clusters electronic charge accumulates at each surface site at the expense of the inner cluster atoms, while in the larger clusters, N = 175 and 369, charge is gathered on the central particles of the cluster, suggesting different sub-surface character of the clusters. These findings are in agreement with available experimental and theoretical data and promise to offer important information for creating nanostructured materials with improved properties suitable for multiple technological applications.     

Maxwell's demons realized in electronic circuits

We review recent progress in making the former gedanken experiments of Maxwell's demon [1] into real experiments in a lab. In particular, we focus on realizations based on single-electron tunneling in electronic circuits. We first present how stochastic thermodynamics can be investigated in these circuits. Next we review recent experiments on an electron-based Szilard engine. Finally, we report on experiments on single-electron tunneling-based cooling, overviewing the recent realization of a Coulomb gap refrigerator, as well as an autonomous Maxwell's demon.     

Particle clustering and Mott transitions in hot nuclear matter at finite temperature: (III). Heavy cluster abundances and coulomb interaction

The properties of hot nuclear matter are calculated by considering the Coulomb interaction in a Debye-Thomas-Fermi approach. It is shown that the inclusion of the Coulomb forces implies a decrease of the cluster bound-state energy and a lowering of the nuclear density at the cluster surface. The Coulomb interaction together with consideration of the in-medium corrections leads to significant modification of the abundances of larger clusters compared with the frequently used law-of-mass-action approach.     

The Electronic and Magnetic Properties of FCC Iron Clusters in FCC 4D Metals

The electronic and magnetic structures of small FCC iron clusters in FCC Rh, Pd and Ag were calculated using the discrete variational method as a function of cluster size and lattice relaxation. It was found that unrelaxed iron clusters, remain ferromagnetic as the cluster sizes increase, while for relaxed clusters antiferromagnetism develops as the size increases depending on the host metal. For iron in Rh the magnetic structure changes from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic for clusters as small as 13 Fe atoms, whereas for Fe in Ag antiferromagnetism is exhibited for clusters of 24 Fe atoms. On the hand, for Fe in Pd the transition from ferromagnetism to antiferromagnetism occurs for clusters as large as 42 Fe atoms. The difference in the magnetic trends of these Fe clusters is related to the electronic properties of the underlying metallic matrix. The local d densities of states, the magnetic moments and hyperfine parameters are calculated in the ferromagnetic and the antiferromagnetic regions. In addition, the average local moment in iron-palladium alloys is calculated and compared to experimental results.     

Electron spectroscopy of objects for nanoelectronics

An electron-spectroscopic analysis is made of layered nanostructures and clusters at the surface and in the bulk of a solid. A new method of forming metal/insulator/semiconductor (superconductor) nanostructures is proposed based on ion-stimulated metal segregation effects at the surface of low-temperature gallium arsenide and a 123 high-temperature superconductor. The geometric parameters and electronic structure of these nano-objects are studied. It is shown that their electronic properties can be controllably varied in situ by acting on the surface. The dimensional transformation of the electronic properties of metal clusters is studied for clusters in the insulator SiO₂, in the superconductor LTMBE-GaAs, and on silicon and graphite surfaces. The nature of this transformation is clarified. A diagnostics for cluster ensembles is developed by which one can determine the parameters needed to describe singleelectron transport: the average number of atoms per cluster, the average distance between clusters and isolated atoms, and the chemical state of the atoms. Ensembles of silver clusters with specified parameters are obtained on a silicon surface. It is shown that these ensembles are potentially useful for developing single-electron devices. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 85–89 (September 1999)     

Electronic properties of silicon with ultrasmall germanium clusters

The electronic states of silicon with a periodic array of spherical germanium clusters are studied within the pseudopotential approach. The effects of quantum confinement in the energies and wave functions of the localized cluster states are analyzed. It is demonstrated that clusters up to 2.4 nm in size produce one localized s state whose energy monotonically shifts deep into the silicon band gap as the cluster size increases. The wave function of the cluster level corresponds to the single-valley approximation of the effective-mass method. In the approximation of an abruptly discontinuous potential at the heterointerface, the quantities calculated using the effective-mass method for clusters containing more than 200 Ge atoms are close to those obtained by the pseudopotential method. For smaller clusters, it is necessary to take into account the smooth potential at the interface.     

An association theory for the formation of ion oligomers and its application to 1-1 electrolytes

A theory for modelling electrolyte solutions which includes the formation of ion clusters of different size has been developed in the framework of the primitive model. In primitive models the solvent is described as a dielectric continuum and the solvent–solute interactions are neglected. For the dielectric constant the value of the pure solvent has been used. The ion cluster distribution is calculated from the mass action law. The association constants are related to integrals over the cluster distribution functions which are calculated with the Kirkwood superposition approximation from low density pair distribution functions. The ion clusters are defined by a certain distance which rules if two ions belong to the same cluster. This so-called Bjerrum distance is chosen according to fundamental investigations of the structure of ion cluster. All ion clusters are modelled as hard spheres. For the free ions and charged clusters the mean spherical approximation expression for the Coulomb interaction is added. The co-volumes of the ion clusters have been taken from the investigation of the ion cluster structures, and are consistent with the definition of an ion cluster chosen here.     

Two-dimensional Sb cluster superlattice on Si substrate fabricated by a two-step method

Nanoclusters consisting of a few atoms have attracted a lot of research interests due to their exotic size-dependent properties. Here, well-ordered two-dimensional Sb cluster superlattice was fabricated on Si substrate by a two-step method and characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy. High resolution scanning tunneling microscope measurements revealed the fine structures of the Sb clusters, which consist of several Sb atoms ranging from 2 to 7. Furthermore, the electronic structure of the nanocluster displays the quantized energy-level which is due to the single-electron tunneling effects. We believe that the fabrication of Sb cluster superlattice broadens the species of the cluster superlattice and provides a promising candidate to further explore the novel physical and chemical properties of the semimetal nanocluster.     

Coulomb instability of charged clusters

A model different from the Rayleigh model for Coulomb instability of charged metallic clusters is proposed. The two-component model of a metallic cluster in the quasi-classical approximation offers different critical charges depending on the type of charged particles. For small-sized parallelepiped clusters, the quantization of the electronic spectrum is taken into account. The critical sizes of Ag _N ^2? and Ag _N ^3? clusters are calculated in the framework of the proposed model. The results of calculations are in good agreement with experimental data. The Coulomb explosion of positively charged clusters Na _N ⁿ⁺ at 3≤n≤5 is explained qualitatively.     

Static dipole polarizabilities of Scn （n ≤15） clusters

The static dipole polarizabilities of scandium clusters with up to 15 atoms are determined by using the numerically finite field method in the framework of density functional theory. The electronic effects on the polarizabilities are investigated for the scandium clusters. We examine a large highest occupied molecular orbital --- the lowest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO--LUMO) gap of a scandium cluster usually corresponds to a large dipole moment. The static polarizability per atom decreases slowly and exhibits local minimum with increasing cluster size. The polarizability anisotropy and the ratio of mean static polarizability to the HOMO--LUMO gap can also reflect the cluster stability. The polarizability of the scandium cluster is partially related to the HOMO--LUMO gap and is also dependent on geometrical characteristics. A strong correlation between the polarizability and ionization energy is observed.     

Ab initio study of neutral (TiO2)n clusters and their interactions with water and transition metal atoms

We have systematically investigated the growth behavior and stability of small stoichiometric (TiO(2))(n) (n = 1-10) clusters as well as their structural, electronic and magnetic properties by using the first-principles plane wave pseudopotential method within density functional theory. In order to find out the ground state geometries, a large number of initial cluster structures for each n has been searched via total energy calculations. Generally, the ground state structures for the case of n = 1-9 clusters have at least one monovalent O atom, which only binds to a single Ti atom. However, the most stable structure of the n = 10 cluster does not have any monovalent O atom. On the other hand, Ti atoms are at least fourfold coordinated for the ground state structures for n ≥ 4 clusters. Our calculations have revealed that clusters prefer to form three-dimensional structures. Furthermore, all these stoichiometric clusters have nonmagnetic ground state. The formation energy and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gap for the most stable structure of (TiO(2))(n) clusters for each n have also been calculated. The formation energy and hence the stability increases as the cluster size grows. In addition, the interactions between the ground state structure of the (TiO(2))(n) cluster and a single water molecule have been studied. The binding energy (E(b)) of the H(2)O molecule exhibits an oscillatory behavior with the size of the clusters. A single water molecule preferably binds to the cluster Ti atom through its oxygen atom, resulting an average binding energy of 1.1 eV. We have also reported the interaction of the selected clusters (n = 3, 4, 10) with multiple water molecules. We have found that additional water molecules lead to a decrease in the binding energy of these molecules to the (TiO(2))(n) clusters. Finally, the adsorption of transition metal (TM) atoms (V, Co and Pt) on the n = 10 cluster has been investigated for possible functionalization. All these elements interact strongly with this cluster, and a permanent magnetic moment is induced upon adsorption of Co and V atoms. We have observed gap localized TM states leading to significant HOMO-LUMO gap narrowing, which is essential to achieve visible light response for the efficient use of TiO(2) based materials. In this way, electronic and optical as well as magnetic properties of TiO(2) materials can be modulated by using the appropriate adsorbate atoms.     

密度泛函理论研究ScnO(n=1—9)团簇的结构、稳定性与电子性质

采用基于密度泛函理论的BP86/CEP-121G （O原子采用6-311G^**基组）方法,对Sc_nO （n=1—9）团簇的几何结构、能量与稳定性、电子结构性质及其随团簇尺寸的变化趋势进行了研究.随着团簇原子个数的增加,O原子从位于Sc_n团簇结构的边缘转变为占据团簇的内部位置.O原子的掺入增加了Sc_n团簇的稳定性,使其能隙升高,并改变了其稳定性及电子结构性质随团簇尺寸变化的规律;含有偶数个Sc原子的氧化物团簇比其周围邻近的含有奇数个Sc原子的氧化物团簇具有相对较高的稳定性.Sc_nO团簇电离势的理论计算值与实验值符合得较好,而其电子亲和势呈现振荡交替上升的变化趋势;用最大化学硬度规律等方法表征了Sc_nO氧化物团簇的稳定性和电子结构性质. 关键词： nO团簇')" href="#">Sc_nO团簇 几何结构 电子性质 密度泛函理论     

不同构型(In,Al)GaN合金发光机理的第一性原理研究

基于第一性原理的密度泛函理论,研究了纤锌矿（In,Al）GaN合金的4种构型（均匀、短链、小团簇、团簇-链共存模型）的电子结构和发光微观机理。结果表明,在InGaN合金中,短In-N-链和小In-N团簇都局域电子在价带顶（VBM）态。当小团簇与短链共存时,前者局域电子的能力明显强于后者,是辐射复合发光中心。然而,在AlGaN合金中,电子在VBM态的局域受短Al-N链和小Al-N团簇的影响并不显著。合金微观结构的不同会引起电子局域的改变,从而影响材料的发光性能,并对带隙和弯曲系数有重要影响。     

采用Gauss 94量子化学程序实施团簇嵌入离子晶体

在Gauss 94基础上提出了一种团簇嵌入晶格技术,团簇中的电子和核都处于周围无限大晶格产生的库仑场中,库仑势由Ewald方法计算.对相应的单电子Hamilton算符及团簇系统总能量进行了修改.应用此嵌入技术对NaF:Cu⁺系统及NaF中F心缺陷进行了研究,计算出的NaF:Cu⁺系统的垂直激发能及F心光学激发能均与实验值符合得较好,说明了此种嵌入技术是切实可行的.     

飞秒强激光脉冲中氩团簇库仑爆炸特性研究

利用Bathe模型,理论模拟了氩团簇在飞秒强激光中(100 fs, 1016 W/cm2)的电离和爆炸过程.研究结果显示,在团簇尺寸较小时,离子平均能量与团簇初始半径平方成正比,爆炸机制为典型的库仑爆炸.随着团簇尺寸的增加,能量增加的速度趋缓并在一定团簇尺寸后趋于饱和.模拟结果与实验数据有较好的吻合.