Annual review of condensed matter physics

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Electronic Transport In Mesoscopic Systems

Journal of Physics Condensed Matter: Preface

Creating functional electrical circuits using individual or ensemble molecules, often termed as “molecular-scale electronics”, not only meets the increasing technical demands of the miniaturization of traditional Si-based electronic devices, but also provides an ideal window of exploring the intrinsic properties of materials at the molecular level. This Review covers the major advances with the most general applicability and emphasizes new insights into the development of efficient platform methodologies for building reliable molecular electronic devices with desired functionalities through the combination of programmed bottom-up self-assembly and sophisticated top-down device fabrication. First, we summarize a number of different approaches of forming molecular-scale junctions and discuss various experimental techniques for examining these nanoscale circuits in details. We then give a full introduction of characterization techniques and theoretical simulations for molecular electronics. Third, we highlig...

Molecular-Scale Electronics: From Concept to Function

A possible sighting of Majorana states Nearly 80 years ago, the Italian physicist Ettore Majorana proposed the existence of an unusual type of particle that is its own antiparticle, the so-called Majorana fermion. The search for a free Majorana fermion has so far been unsuccessful, but bound Majorana-like collective excitations may exist in certain exotic superconductors. Nadj-Perge et al. created such a topological superconductor by depositing iron atoms onto the surface of superconducting lead, forming atomic chains (see the Perspective by Lee). They then used a scanning tunneling microscope to observe enhanced conductance at the ends of these chains at zero energy, where theory predicts Majorana states should appear. Science, this issue p. 602; see also p. 547 Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to observe signatures of Majorana states at the ends of iron atom chains. [Also see Perspective by Lee] Majorana fermions are predicted to localize at the edge of a topological superconductor, a state of matter that can form when a ferromagnetic system is placed in proximity to a conventional superconductor with strong spin-orbit interaction. With the goal of realizing a one-dimensional topological superconductor, we have fabricated ferromagnetic iron (Fe) atomic chains on the surface of superconducting lead (Pb). Using high-resolution spectroscopic imaging techniques, we show that the onset of superconductivity, which gaps the electronic density of states in the bulk of the Fe chains, is accompanied by the appearance of zero-energy end-states. This spatially resolved signature provides strong evidence, corroborated by other observations, for the formation of a topological phase and edge-bound Majorana fermions in our atomic chains.

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Observation of Majorana fermions in ferromagnetic atomic chains on a superconductor

We identify experimental signatures in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of weakly contacted molecules directly arising from excitations in their many electron spectrum. The current is calculated using a multielectron master equation in the Fock space of an exact diagonalized model many-body Hamiltonian for a prototypical molecule. Using this approach, we explain several nontrivial features in frequently observed I-Vs in terms of a rich spectrum of excitations that may be hard to describe adequately with standard one-electron self-consistent field theories.

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Probing electronic excitations in molecular conduction

In the absence of phonon contribution, a weakly coupled single orbital noninteracting quantum dot thermoelectric setup is known to operate reversibly as a Carnot engine. This reversible operation, however, occurs only in the ideal case of vanishing coupling to the contacts, wherein the transmission function is delta shaped, and under open-circuit conditions, where no electrical power is extracted. In this paper, we delve into the thermoelectric performance of quantum dot systems by analyzing the power output and efficiency directly evaluated from the nonequilibrium electric and energy currents across them. In the case of interacting quantum dots, the nonequilibrium currents in the limit of weak coupling to the contacts are evaluated using the Pauli master equation approach. The following fundamental aspects of the thermoelectric operation of a quantum dot setup are discussed in detail: (a) With a finite coupling to the contacts, a thermoelectric setup always operates irreversibly under open-circuit conditions, with a zero efficiency. (b) Operation at a peak efficiency close to the Carnot value is possible under a finite power operation. In the noninteracting single orbital case, the peak efficiency approaches the Carnot value as the coupling to the contacts becomes smaller. In the interacting case, this trend depends nontrivially on the interaction parameter $U$. (c) The evaluated trends of the maximum efficiency derived from the nonequilibrium currents deviate considerably from the conventional figure of merit $zT$-based results. Finally, we also analyze the interacting quantum dot setup for thermoelectric operation at maximum power output.

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Performance analysis of an interacting quantum dot thermoelectric setup

A decrease in current with increasing voltage, often referred to as negative differential resistance (NDR), has been observed in many electronic devices and can usually be understood within a one-electron picture. However, NDR has recently been reported in nanoscale devices with large single-electron charging energies which require a many-electron picture in Fock space. This paper presents a generic model in this transport regime leading to a simple criterion for the conditions required to observe NDR and shows that this model describes the recent observation of multiple NDR's in spin-blockaded transport through weakly coupled-double quantum dots quite well. This model clearly shows how a delicate interplay of orbital energy offset, delocalization, and Coulomb interaction leads to the observed NDR under the right conditions, and also aids in obtaining a good match with experimentally observed features. We believe that the basic model could be useful in understanding other experiments in this transport regime as well.

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Generic model for current collapse in spin-blockaded transport

This paper examines the thermoelectric response of a dissipative quantum-dot heat engine based on the Anderson-Holstein model in two relevant operating limits, (i) when the dot phonon modes are out of equilibrium, and (ii) when the dot phonon modes are strongly coupled to a heat bath. In the first case, a detailed analysis of the physics related to the interplay between the quantum-dot level quantization, the on-site Coulomb interaction, and the electron-phonon coupling on the thermoelectric performance reveals that an $n$-type heat engine performs better than a $p$-type heat engine. In the second case, with the aid of the dot temperature estimated by incorporating a thermometer bath, it is shown that the dot temperature deviates from the bath temperature as electron-phonon interaction in the dot becomes stronger. Consequently, it is demonstrated that the dot temperature controls the direction of phonon heat currents, thereby influencing the thermoelectric performance. Finally, the conditions on the maximum efficiency with varying phonon couplings between the dot and all the other macroscopic bodies are analyzed in order to reveal the nature of the optimum junction.

Thermoelectric study of dissipative quantum-dot heat engines

Low-dimensional systems with sharp features in the density of states have been proposed as a means for improving the efficiency of thermoelectric devices. Quantum dot systems, which offer the sharpest density of states achievable, however, suffer from low power outputs while bulk (3-D) thermoelectrics, while displaying high power outputs, offer very low efficiencies. Here, we analyze the use of a resonant tunneling diode structure that combines the best of both aspects, that is, density of states distortion with a finite bandwidth due to confinement that aids the efficiency and a large number of current carrying transverse modes that enhances the total power output. We show that this device can achieve a high power output (∼0.3 MW∕m2) at efficiencies of ∼40% of the Carnot efficiency due to the contribution from these transverse momentum states at a finite bandwidth of kT∕2. We then provide a detailed analysis of the physics of charge and heat transport with insights on parasitic currents that reduce the e...

Bhaskaran Muralidharan

Papers

Probing electronic excitations in molecular conduction

Performance analysis of an interacting quantum dot thermoelectric setup

Generic model for current collapse in spin-blockaded transport

Thermoelectric study of dissipative quantum-dot heat engines

Power and efficiency analysis of a realistic resonant tunneling diode thermoelectric