Quantum Mott transition in a silicon quantum dot

TL;DR

This paper investigates the quantum Mott transition in a silicon quantum dot with a double-barrier structure, deriving conditions for step-like conductance changes based on doping, relevant for experimental realization.

Contribution

It provides simple, experimentally feasible conditions for observing a quantum Mott transition in silicon quantum dots, linking conductance behavior to doping levels.

Findings

Conductance becomes step-like as a function of doping atoms.

Conditions for the transition are feasible with current experimental structures.

The transition is largely independent of dopant positions.

Abstract

Considering a double-barrier structure formed by a silicon quantum dot covered by natural oxide, we derive simple conditions for the conductance of the dot to become a step-like function of the number of doping atoms inside the dot, with negligible dependence on the actual position of the dopants. The found conditions are feasible in experimentally available structures.