Noninvasive lateral detection of Coulomb blockade in a quantum dot fabricated using atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscope (AFM) lithography is used to fabricate a charge detector. Experimental results are presented showing the lateral detection of Coulomb blockade events using a narrow constriction located in close proximity to a quantum dot. Both the dot and the constriction are patterned by writing oxide lines on a semiconductor surface with a conducting tip of an AFM. On a shallow two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), the written oxide lifts the bottom of the conduction band above the Fermi level, leaving the 2DEG depleted beneath it. With its inherent ability to draw fine lines, the AFM presents a suitable fabrication technique for noninvasive experiments in which a phenomenon, such as Coulomb blockade, can be detected without necessarily injecting current across the dot. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.