Electronic properties of semiconductor quantum wires for shallow symmetric and asymmetric confinements

Abstract Quantum wires (QWs) and quantum point contacts (QPCs) have been realized in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures in which a two-dimensional electron gas resides at the interface between GaAs and AlGaAs layered semiconductors. The electron transport in these structures has previously been studied experimentally and theoretically, and a 0.7 conductance anomaly has been discovered. The present paper is motivated by experiments with a QW in shallow symmetric and asymmetric confinements that have shown additional conductance anomalies at zero magnetic field. The proposed device consists of a QPC that is formed by split gates and a top gate between two large electron reservoirs. This paper is focussed on the theoretical study of electron transport through a wide top-gated QPC in a low-density regime and is based on density functional theory. The electron–electron interaction and shallow confinement make the splitting of the conduction channel into two channels possible. Each of them becomes spin-polarized at certain split and top gates voltages and may contribute to conductance giving rise to additional conductance anomalies. For symmetrically loaded split gates two conduction channels contribute equally to conductance. For the case of asymmetrically applied voltage between split gates conductance anomalies may occur between values of 0.25(2e 2/h) and 0.7(2e 2/h) depending on the increased asymmetry in split gates voltages. This corresponds to different degrees of spin-polarization in the two conduction channels that contribute differently to conductance. In the case of a strong asymmetry in split gates voltages one channel of conduction is pinched off and just the one remaining channel contributes to conductance. We have found that on the perimeter of the anti-dot there are spin-polarized states. These states may also contribute to conductance if the radius of the anti-dot is small enough and tunneling between these states may occur. The spin-polarized states in the QPC with shallow confinement tuned by electric means may be used for the purposes of quantum technology.