Coupled Quantum Dots in Bilayer Graphene

Nano Lett. 2018 Aug 8;18(8):5042-5048. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b01859. Epub 2018 Jul 9.

Abstract

Electrostatic confinement of charge carriers in bilayer graphene provides a unique platform for carbon-based spin, charge, or exchange qubits. By exploiting the possibility to induce a band gap with electrostatic gating, we form a versatile and widely tunable multiquantum dot system. We demonstrate the formation of single, double and triple quantum dots that are free of any sign of disorder. In bilayer graphene, we have the possibility to form tunnel barriers using different mechanisms. We can exploit the ambipolar nature of bilayer graphene where pn-junctions form natural tunnel barriers. Alternatively, we can use gates to form tunnel barriers, where we can vary the tunnel coupling by more than 2 orders of magnitude tuning between a deeply Coulomb blockaded system and a Fabry-Pérot-like cavity. Demonstrating such tunability is an important step toward graphene-based quantum computation.

Keywords: Bilayer graphene; coupled quantum dots; electrostatic confinement; gate-tunable tunnel barriers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't