Few-electron semiconductor quantum dots with Gaussian confinement

TL;DR

This paper uses Hartree-Fock calculations to analyze the electronic structure and stability of few-electron Gaussian quantum dots, revealing key parameters influencing electron binding and shell structure effects.

Contribution

It introduces a scaling analysis of Gaussian quantum dots and identifies the main parameter $V_0 R^2$ governing electron binding and stability.

Findings

Most relevant parameter for bound electrons is $V_0 R^2$

Quantum dots with N=2, 5, 8 electrons are particularly stable

Shell structure diminishes with increasing well radius

Abstract

We have performed Hartree-Fock calculations of electronic structure of N \le 10 electrons in a quantum dot modeled with a confining Gaussian potential well. We discuss the conditions for the stability of N bound electrons in the system. We show that the most relevant parameter determining the number of bound electrons is $V_0 R^2$. Such a property arises from widely valid scaling properties of the con ning potential. Gaussian Quantum dots having N = 2, 5 and 8 electrons are particularly stable in agreement with Hund rule. The shell structure becomes less and less noticeable as the well radius increases.