# US 2014/0150860 A1 · Electronic device from dissipative quantum dots

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- Number: US 2014/0150860 A1
- Document ID: US20140150860A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/117,811
- Filed: 2012-05-16
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2011-05-16
- Assignees: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinoi
- Inventors: Dirk K. Morr
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150860A1

## CPC

- H10F 77/146: {Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures}
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- H10D 62/814: {Quantum box structures}
- H10D 62/815: of structures having periodic or quasi-periodic potential variation, e.g. superlattices or multiple quantum wells [MQW]
- H10F 77/1433: {Quantum dots}
- H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects}
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

An example electronic device includes a region formed from an array of dissipative quantum dots. The quantum dots are arranged according to their electronic structure to provide a tailored asymmetry in current flow through the region.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device having a region formed from an array of dissipative quantum dots, the dissipative quantum dots being arranged according to their electronic structure to provide a tailored asymmetry in current flow through the region.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a diode;
wherein the diode comprises:
a first contact;
a second contact;
the region being disposed between the first contact and the second contact and comprising the array of dissipative quantum dots;
wherein the dissipative quantum dots respectively vary in electronic structure between the first contact and the second contact;
wherein the dissipative quantum dots are arranged in the region according to their respective electronic structure to provide a tailored asymmetry in current flow between forward and reverse directions of applied potential differences across the region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the respective electronic structure of the dissipative quantum dots results in different respective energy levels among the arranged dissipative quantum dots.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the different respective energy levels are different in one or more of energy level width and energy level position.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the array is one-dimensional.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the array is multi-dimensional.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the dissipative quantum dots are arranged in the region in one of respectively increasing energy position of energy levels between the first contact and the second contact and respectively decreasing energy position of energy levels between the first contact and the second contact.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the tailored asymmetry provides a tailored forward bias.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the tailored asymmetry provides a predetermined restriction to the current flow when the diode is reverse-biased.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the dissipative quantum dots are comprised of a material taken from the group consisting of cadmium-selenium (Cd—Se), silicon/silicon-germanium (Si/SiGe) heterostructures, and aluminum gallium arsenic/gallium arsenic (AlGaAs/GaAs) heterostructures.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the dissipative quantum dots are comprised of a metal material.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the dissipative quantum dots are comprised of a biological material.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the dissipative quantum dots are comprised of one of individual molecules and individual atoms.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the dissipative quantum dots respectively vary along the array in one or more of number of atoms, number of energy levels, and diameter.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the dissipative quantum dots in the region are disposed on a substrate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the substrate is configured to selectively provide dissipation to each of the array of dissipative quantum dots.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The electronic device of claim 16,
wherein the substrate is selectively backgated at locations respective to the array of dissipative quantum dots;
whereby the backgated substrate selectively introduces a variation in the electronic structure in each of the quantum dots in the array of dissipative quantum dots.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the dissipative quantum dots in the region comprise free-floating networks.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the tailored asymmetry provides a difference in current magnitude between forward bias and reverse bias by a factor of five or larger.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the tailored asymmetry provides a difference in current magnitude between forward bias and reverse bias by a factor of 100 or larger.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a charge valve.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising:
a solar cell for creating electron-hole pairs;
an energy storage device coupled to the solar cell in a circuit;
wherein the charge valve is disposed in the circuit between the solar cell and the energy storage device;
wherein the charge valve prevents flow of electrons to the solar cell, thereby preventing a recombination of electrons and holes and providing separated electrons and holes;
whereby the separated electrons and holes can be stored in the energy storage device.

### Claim 23

A method of making a diode comprising:
providing a region including a plurality of dissipative quantum dots arranged in an array, the dissipative quantum dots respectively varying in electronic structure to provide a tailored asymmetry in current flow between forward and reverse directions of applied potential differences across the provided region;
providing a first contact coupled to the region; and
providing a second contact coupled to the region.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the providing a region comprises:
providing a plurality of dissipative quantum dots;
determining an electronic structure for the plurality of dissipative quantum dots.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The method of claim 24, wherein the determining an electronic structure comprises:
using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to measure a density of states in the quantum dots.

### Claim 26 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the providing the region comprises atomically manipulating the plurality of dissipative quantum dots.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The method of claim 26, wherein the atomically manipulating uses a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip.

### Claim 28 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the providing the region comprises arranging a plurality of quantum dots in the array such that respective distances between the arranged plurality of quantum dots permit electrons of the arranged quantum dots to tunnel into adjacent ones of the arranged quantum dots.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28, wherein the arranging comprises arranging the quantum dots on a substrate.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, further comprising:
selecting the substrate based on an effect of the substrate on dissipation of the quantum dots.

### Claim 31 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28, wherein the arranging comprises arranging the quantum dots in a floating network.

### Claim 32 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28, further comprising:
causing the arranged plurality of quantum dots to be dissipative and thereby increasing a width of the respective energy levels of the arranged quantum dots.

### Claim 33 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28, wherein the causing comprises placing the quantum dots on a substrate such that electrons of the arranged plurality of quantum dots tunnel into an electronic level of the substrate.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The method of claim 33, wherein the substrate is configured to cause selective dissipation in the arranged plurality of quantum dots.

### Claim 35 (depends on 34)

The method of claim 34, further comprising:
backgating the substrate to cause selective dissipation in the arranged plurality of quantum dots.

### Claim 36 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the causing comprises interactions with phonons or other collective modes with the arranged plurality of quantum dots.

### Claim 37 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein respective ones of the array of dissipative quantum dots has a predetermined amount of decoherence such that an electron in each dissipative quantum dot can hop energy levels ten or more times before scattering.

### Claim 38 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the providing a region comprises:
providing a plurality of quantum dots;
shifting respective energy levels of the provided plurality of quantum dots; and
arranging the plurality of quantum dots in ascending or descending order of energy of a particular energy level.

### Claim 39 (depends on 38)

The method of claim 38, wherein said shifting comprises:
providing a backgated substrate;
wherein the arranging comprising coupling the arranged plurality of quantum dots to the backgated substrate.

### Claim 40 (depends on 38)

The method of claim 38, wherein the causing comprises introducing phonons, spin collective modes or charge collective modes in the arranged quantum dots.

### Claim 42

A method of controlling current flow comprising:
providing a diode comprising a first contact, a second contact, and a region disposed between the first contact and the second contact, the region comprising a plurality of dissipative quantum dots arranged in an array;
wherein the dissipative quantum dots respectively vary in electronic structure between the first contact and the second contact;
wherein the dissipative quantum dots are selectively arranged in said region according to their respective electronic structure to provide a tailored asymmetry in current flow between forward and reverse directions of applied potential differences across the region;
coupling a voltage source across the first contact and the second contact; and
applying a potential difference across the region.