Quantum transport and spin-orbit coupling in semiconductor nanostructures

Abstract

Semiconductor nanostructures present a promising path to enhance current computing technology and develop quantum information technologies. The electronic structure of these nanostructures has direct implications on the transport of electrons through them and their potential device applications. This thesis explores the electronic structures of various semiconducting nanostructures and their dependence on electromagnetic fields, dopant atoms, spin-orbit coupling and atomistic features through experiment and modelling. A form of quantum transport, known as single electron charging, is demonstrated through the electron-bound states of dopant atoms in a silicon nanostructure. A portion of a recently published work is presented which models the response of valley states in a gate-defined quantum dot within a silicon quantum well to an interface step and applied electric fields. The main work of this thesis employs an atomistic tight-binding model to determine the effective g-factor anisotropy of InAs nanowires under various atomistic and electromagnetic conditions. The spin-orbit interactions present in the nanowires are extracted from the effective g-factor anisotropy with an effective model. The modelling results provide insights for InAs nanowire applications in fields such as Majorana zero mode research, spintronic devices and quantum information technology.