TY - JOUR
T1 - Quantum interference in two independently tunable parallel point contacts
AU - Hwang, S. W.
AU - Simmons, J. A.
AU - Tsui, D. C.
AU - Shayegan, Mansour
PY - 1991/1/1
Y1 - 1991/1/1
N2 - We have fabricated two independently tunable quantum point contacts in a parallel configuration, by wet etching a 2000 - diameter hole in the center of the constriction of a split-gate device in an AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs heterojunction. The number of occupied subbands in the point contact on either side of the etched hole can be tuned independently by biasing the gate, with each channel exhibiting conductance steps in units of 2e2/h, independent of the other. In the quantum Hall regime, nearly periodic resistance fluctuations are observed when both gate biases are fixed and the magnetic field B is swept. Further, periodic resistance fluctuations are observed when B and the bias on one gate is fixed, while the bias on the second gate is swept. In both cases, fluctuations are due to tunneling between the opposite edge channels via magnetically bound states encircling the etched hole, whose energies are quantized such that each encloses an integral number of flux quanta. Tunneling occurs when an allowed bound-state energy coincides with the chemical potential, and when the edge channel occupations of the two quantum point contacts are nearly equal, as discussed in a simple model.
AB - We have fabricated two independently tunable quantum point contacts in a parallel configuration, by wet etching a 2000 - diameter hole in the center of the constriction of a split-gate device in an AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs heterojunction. The number of occupied subbands in the point contact on either side of the etched hole can be tuned independently by biasing the gate, with each channel exhibiting conductance steps in units of 2e2/h, independent of the other. In the quantum Hall regime, nearly periodic resistance fluctuations are observed when both gate biases are fixed and the magnetic field B is swept. Further, periodic resistance fluctuations are observed when B and the bias on one gate is fixed, while the bias on the second gate is swept. In both cases, fluctuations are due to tunneling between the opposite edge channels via magnetically bound states encircling the etched hole, whose energies are quantized such that each encloses an integral number of flux quanta. Tunneling occurs when an allowed bound-state energy coincides with the chemical potential, and when the edge channel occupations of the two quantum point contacts are nearly equal, as discussed in a simple model.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1542727158&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=1542727158&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevB.44.13497
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevB.44.13497
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:1542727158
SN - 0163-1829
VL - 44
SP - 13497
EP - 13503
JO - Physical Review B
JF - Physical Review B
IS - 24
ER -