Heteroepitaxial growth of GeSi alloys on Si ͑001͒ under deposition conditions that partially limit surface mobility leads to an unusual form of strain-induced surface morphological evolution. We discuss a kinetic growth regime wherein pits form in a thick metastable wetting layer and, with additional deposition, evolve to a quantum dot molecule-a symmetric assembly of four quantum dots bound by the central pit. We discuss the size selection and scaling of quantum dot molecules. We then examine the key mechanism-preferred pit formation-in detail, using ex situ atomic force microscopy, in situ scanning tunneling microscopy, and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. A picture emerges wherein localized pits appear to arise from a damped instability. When pits are annealed, they extend into an array of highly anisotropic surface grooves via a one-dimensional growth instability. Subsequent deposition on this grooved film results in a fascinating structure where compact quantum dots and molecules, as well as highly ramified quantum wires, are all simultaneously self-assembled.

We propose and demonstrate a relaxed-SiGe/strained-Si (SiGe/s-Si) enhancement-mode gate stack for quantum dots. The enhancement-mode SiGe/s-Si structure is pursued because it spaces the quantum dot away from charge and spin defect rich dielectric interfaces and minimizes background dopants. A mobility of 1.6 × 10 5 cm 2 /Vs at 5.8 × 10 11 /cm 2 is measured in Hall bars that witness the same device process flow as the quantum dot. Periodic Coulomb blockade (CB) is measured in a double-top-gated lateral quantum dot nanostructure. The CB terminates with open diamonds up to ±10 mV of DC voltage across the device. The devices were fabricated within a 150 mm Si foundry setting that uses implanted ohmics and chemical-vapor-deposited dielectrics, in contrast to previously demonstrated enhancement-mode SiGe/s-Si structures made with AuSb alloyed ohmics and atomic-layer-deposited dielectric. A modified implant, polysilicon formation and annealing conditions were utilized to minimize the thermal budget so that the buried s-Si layer would not be washed out by Ge/Si interdiffusion.

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Thin films of the molecular magnet Mn12-acetate, [Mn12 O12(CH3COO)16 (H2O)4] 2CH3COOH 4H2O, have been prepared using a laser ablation technique with a nitrogen laser at low laser energies of 0.8 and 2 mJ. Chemical and magnetic characterizations show that the Mn12-acetate cores remain intact and the films show similar magnetic properties to those of the parent molecular starting material. In addition, the magnetic data exhibit a peak in the magnetization at 27 K indicating the creation of an additional magnetic phase not noted in previous studies of crystalline phases.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, In Press - J. Mag. Mag. Ma

Silicon and silicon-germanium heterostructure devices are interesting test beds for exploring solid-state quantum computing. Electron spin lifetimes and coherence times in fully relaxed SiGe / strained Si (sSi) quantum well devices are much longer than competing systems (e.g. gallium-arsenide heterostructures), with further improvements expected. Additionally, highly crystalline and high mobility interfaces allow fabrication of few electron dots and sensitive electrometers more easily.978-1-4577-1865-6/12/$26.00 ©2012 IEEE