Fabrication of magnetic artificial atoms

We have fabricated gated vertical quantum dots made from a II-VI semiconductor heterostructure containing a paramagnetic quantum well. The absence of a known Schottky gate metal compatible with ZnSe based material precludes the traditional method of using a self-aligning shadow evaporated gate. Instead, we make use of a multi-step electron beam lithography process to surround a pillar with an insulating dielectric and gate. This process allows for the processing of dots with diameters down to 250 nm. Preliminary transport data confirming the magnetic nature of the resulting artificial atom are presented.