Terahertz Technology: Abstract-Excited-state charging energies in quantum dots investigated by terahertz photocurrent spectroscopy

Y. Zhang, K. Shibata, N. Nagai, C. Ndebeka-Bandou, G. Bastard, and K. Hirakawa

Phys. Rev. B 93, 235313 – Published 24 June 2016

https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.235313

We have investigated the excited-state (ES) charging energies in quantum dots (QDs) by measuring a terahertz (THz)-induced photocurrent in a single-electron transistor (SET) geometry that contains a single InAs QD between metal nanogap electrodes. A photocurrent is produced in the QD SETs through THz intersublevel transitions and the subsequent resonant tunneling. We have found that the photocurrent exhibits stepwise change even within one Coulomb blockaded region as the electrochemical potential in the QD is swept by the gate voltage. From the threshold for the photocurrent generation, we have determined the charging energies for adding an electron in the photoexcited state in the QD. Furthermore, the charging energies for the ESs with different electron configurations are clearly resolved. The present THz photocurrent measurements are essentially dynamical experiments and allow us to analyze electronic properties in off-equilibrium states in the QD.