Nonequilibrium phenomena in adjacent electrically isolated nanostructures

TL;DR

This paper investigates how nonequilibrium interactions, mediated by acoustic phonons, cause electron excitations and generate a dc current in an unbiased nanostructure adjacent to a biased one in GaAs, revealing energy transfer mechanisms.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel phonon-mediated energy transfer process causing current in isolated nanostructures, expanding understanding of nonequilibrium phenomena in nanodevices.

Findings

Current in one nanostructure induces excitation in the adjacent one.

A dc current is generated in the unbiased nanostructure.

Energy transfer is explained by acoustic phonons.

Abstract

We report on nonequilibrium interaction phenomena between adjacent but electrostatically separated nanostructures in GaAs. A current flowing in one externally biased nanostructure causes an excitation of electrons in a circuit of a second nanostructure. As a result we observe a dc current generated in the unbiased second nanostructure. The results can be qualitatively explained in terms of acoustic phonon based energy transfer between the two mutually isolated circuits.