Effective tuning of electron charge and spin distribution in a dot-ring nanostructure at the ZnO interface

TL;DR

This paper investigates the unique electronic and Aharonov-Bohm effects in ZnO quantum dot-ring nanostructures, demonstrating precise control of electron charge and spin distributions through magnetic fields and confinement potentials.

Contribution

It reveals the distinct properties of ZnO dot-rings compared to conventional semiconductors and shows how to effectively tune electron states in these nanostructures.

Findings

Energy spectra depend strongly on electron number.

Aharonov-Bohm oscillations are highly sensitive to system parameters.

Electron charge and spin distributions can be precisely controlled.

Abstract

Electronic states and the Aharonov-Bohm effect in ZnO quantum dot-ring nanostructures containing few interacting electrons reveal several unique features. We have shown here that in contrast to the dot-rings made of conventional semiconductors, such as InAs or GaAs, the dot-rings in ZnO heterojunctions demonstrate several unique characteristics due to the unusual properties of quantum dots and rings in ZnO. In particular the energy spectra of the ZnO dot-ring and the Aharnov-Bohm oscillations are strongly dependant on the electron number in the dot or in the ring. Therefore even small changes of the confinement potential, sizes of the dot-ring or the magnetic field can drastically change the energy spectra and the behavior of Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in the system. Due to this interesting phenomena it is possible to effectively control with high accuracy the electron charge and spin distribution inside the dot-ring structure. This controlling can be achieved either by changing the magnetic field or the confinement potentials.