PROC.

23rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MICROELECTRONICS (MIEL 2002), VOL 1, NIŠ, YUGOSLAVIA, 12-15 MAY, 2002

Electrons in Cylindrical Quantum Wires

S.M. Stojkovi

c, B.S. To
si

c, J.P. Setraj
ci

c and D. Popov

|
Abstract The cylindrical quantum wires are analyzed in this
paper. Translational symmetry holds along x-axis. The num-
pli
ed Hubbard model 4,5,8] in nearest neighbor ap-
ber of atoms in circular discs is several ones. For example, the
Scot's model of -helix contains three molecules in discs. The
cylindrical quantum wires with three and four atoms are inves-
proximation:
H=
X aa+abaab X Wab a b aabaa b
0 0
+
0 0 (1)
tigated. Energies of electrons as well as currents are found. It ab ab a b
0 0

is interesting that in both cases electron energy spectrum is de-

generated. In the case of four atoms all currents are equal, while where
in the case of three atoms the current of non-degenerated energy a 2 1
N ]  W b b = WNb b 
level is two times higher than others. Consequently, the wire with 1 2 0 1 0

three atoms in discs works as modulator of electric impulses. NB  b  NB  N  10 :

2 2 b 8

I. Introduction The variable  represents the energy of electron local-

There has been a great deal of recent interest in ultra- ized on the lattice site, while values W are electronic
narrow con
ned semiconductor systems, called quan- hopping terms for an ideal crystal. Operators a and a +

tum wires, where the motion of electrons is essentially are Fermi operators of electron creation and annihila-
restricted to be one-dimensional 1-2]. The quantum tion. N is number of atoms in each of discs, while NB
size eects become signi
cant in these structures, which is number of discs.
implies essentially dierent physical properties in com- Analysis will be based on the single particle wave-
parison to bulk ones. The considerable interest in sub-
micron electronic structures has been motivated by ex-
pectation of potential applications in solid-state de-
function:
=
X Amnamn j 0i  X j Amn j = 1

+ 2
(2)
vices, such as high-speed transistors, e cient photo- mn mn
detectors and lasers 3]. where j 0i is the ground state of the electron system. In
Our previous investigations of quantum wire models, order to determine the coe cients A we shall use the
based on Green's function method, have shown inu- standard Heisenberg's equation of motion 8]:
ence of wire boundaries, as well as dierent boundary
conditions to the physical properties of quantum wires iha_ cd = acd
H ]  acd(t) = acd(0) e i!t (3)
4-5]. In variance to the this previous model, with rect-
angular cross section, in this paper cylindrical quantum and also fact that:
wire is analyzed. This model has been proven as fruit-
ful platform for studying a large variety of transport iha_ cd = Eacd  E = h ! : (4)
and physical phenomena. The interest is mainly fo- It leads to:
cused on the phenomenon called periodic conductance
oscillations (the device exhibiting those oscillations are fEacd acd
H ]g j i = 0 : (5)
referred to as single-electron transistors) 6].
Substituting Hamiltonian (1) and applying standard
II. Electron Properties of Quantum Wires
We consider quantum wire where translational sym-
metry holding along x-axis. The number of atoms in
procedure of calculation we get:
(E c )acd +
X Wcd abaab = 0
(6)
circular discs is several ones. For example, the Scot's ab
model 7] of -helix contains three molecules in discs.
We start our analysis from electron Hamiltonian of sim-
S.M. Stojkovic, B. S.Tosic and J.P. Setrajcic are with Insti- (E c )Acd +
X Uca (Aa d
which in nearest-neighbor approximation becomes:
+1 + Aa d ) = 0
(7)1

tute of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad a

Trg D. Obradovica 4, 21 000 Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, E-mail:
bora@im.ns.ac.yu where Uca = Wcd a d = Wcd a d . Since along d-
+1 1
D. Popov is with Universitatea "Politehnica Timisoara", Cate- direction translational invariance is hold, we shall use
dra de Fizica, Timisoara, Romania transformation:
S.M. Stojkovic is with Fritz-Haber Institut der Max-Planck
Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany,
E-mail: stojkov@fhi-berlin.mpg.de Acd = c eida0 k
(8)

0-7803-7235-2/02/$10.00 © 2002 IEEE

389
where a0 is lattice constant in direction d. Substituting and total current is
(8) into (7) we obtain:
X
(E c ) c + Uca (k) a = 0
(9)
hek :
j = 3 mN
d
(16)
a
where Uca (k) = 2Uca cos a0 k. In the case of weekly coupled electrons (degenerated
The equation (9) will be written in nearest-neighbors electron gas) when  = 6W , electron energy spectra
approximation, taking into account that index a de- is shown on Figure 1, where reduced electron energies
notes particles located on disc's edge: E=W E are shown.
Uca(k) = U (k)  j c a j= a0 : (10)
Electron energies of quantum wire can be found by
solving the secular equation (9) (system of equations).
This leads to calculation of roots of determinant:
%k 1 0 0


0 0 1
1 %k 0 0


0 0 0
0 1 %k 1


0 0 0
D= ... =0








0 0 0 0


1 %k 1
1 0 0 0


0 1 %k
(11)
where:
%Sk = ESU (k) S  U (k) = 2W cos a0 k : (12)
On the basis of these results it is possible to nd elec- Fig. 1. Electron energy spectra of quantum wire with three
trical current of quantum wire from following expression atoms
9]:
j = 2mh e ( r r ) : (13)
ei
Current of degenerated energy level has a dierent
In this work energies of electrons as well as currents components, while in the current of non-degenerated
of the quantum wires with three and four atoms in discs level all components are same. On the other hand, cur-
are found. rents of non-degenerated level are two times higher or
lower than currents of degenerated energy level.
A. Quantum Wire With Three Atoms
B. Quantum Wire With Four Atoms
In this part quantum wire with three atoms in each
of discs is considered. It is assumed that atoms are In this case is also assumed that atoms are distributed
distributed on the way forming triangle of equal sides. at equal distances, so they form square. Determinant
Electron dispersion law can be found from determinant (11) is of 4x4 order and its solution gives us electron
(11) which, in this case, is of 3x3 order. Energies of energies:
electrons in quantum wire with tree atoms are:
E1 = E2 =  
E1 = E2 =  + 2W cos a0 k  E3 =  + 4W cos a0  (17)
E3 =  4W cos a0 k : (14) E4 =  4W cos a0 k : (18)
Electron energy spectrum is degenerated.
Electrical current of each energy level is found from Electron spectrum is also degenerated as in case of wire
expression (13): with three atoms. It can be seen that degenerated en-
hek ergy level lies in the middle between other two energy
E1 : j11 = 41 j12 = j13 = 6mN levels.
d
1 h
 ek Electron energy spectrum in the case of weekly cou-
E2 : 4 j11 = j12 = j13 = 6mN (15) pled electrons is shown on Figure 2.
d
E3 : j11 = j12 = j13 = 3mN h ek Electrical current is found from expression (13) and
d it is shown that all current's components are same and

390

Fig. 2. Electron energy spectra of quantum wire with four atoms
However, real quantum wire has dierent kind of dis-
orders, impurities and roughness which can easily de-
stroy conductance quantization. In the last few years
this problem has drawn considerable interest of theorist
6,12,13].
III. Conclusion
In this paper electron energy spectrum and electrical
current of cylindrical quantum wire was investigated.
Particularly attention was paid to the wire with three
and four atoms in discs.
It is interesting that in the both cases electron energy
spectrum is degenerated. In the case of four atoms all
currents are equal, while in the case of three atoms the
current of non-degenerated energy levels is two times
higher or lower than others. Consequently, the wire
with three atoms in discs works as modulator of electric
impulses what could have wide practical interest.
The described model and given microtheoretical ap-
proach open a possibility to study presence of dierent
equal to: kind of disorders as well as wire of nite length. This
hek  i k = 1 2 3 4 : corresponds to more realistic case when periodic con-
jik = 4mN (19) ductance oscillations, characteristic for single electron
d transistor, can appear. The model presented here is
Total current is than: suitable to serve as a basis of such research. These
problems will be object of our further investigations.
hek :
j = 4 mN (20)
d References

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and that number of levels with dierent energies is in
both cases N 1, where N is number of atoms in disc.
Furthermore, from expressions (16) and (19) we can
come to conclusion that total electrical current is al-
ways:
h ek :
j = N mN (21)
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According to Landauer-Buttiker formula 10,11]
(which treats electrons in mesoscopic quasi-one-
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conductance of narrow ballistic channels (pure metals)
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steps approximately 2e2 =h height.
Our results for current are in agreement with this
fact (our quantum wire is of innite length and without
disorders). Actually, we can say that current in innite
quantum wire without any disorders is integer multiple
of current quant: h ek=mNd.
391
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