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Updated: May 12, 2026
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All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
Published on: January 19, 2018
Noninvasive spatial metrology of single-atom devices
Fahd A Mohiyaddin1, Rajib Rahman, Rachpon Kalra
1Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia. fahd.mohiyaddin@student.unsw.edu.au
Nano Letters
|April 11, 2013
Summary
Precisely locating single dopant atoms is crucial for advanced electronics. This study introduces a noninvasive electrical measurement technique to pinpoint atom locations in spin qubits with nanometer precision.
Area of Science:
- Quantum computing
- Solid-state physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- The precise positioning of single dopant atoms is critical for the functionality of nanoscale electronic and spintronic devices.
- Current methods for atom placement, such as ion implantation, lack the necessary spatial precision for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a noninvasive technique for precisely determining the spatial location of a single dopant atom within a nanostructure.
- To improve upon the precision of atom localization compared to prefabrication statistics.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a single-atom (phosphorus in silicon) spin qubit device.
- Performing three types of electrical measurements: hyperfine coupling, ground state energy, and capacitive coupling to nearby gates.
- Applying microscopic modeling to analyze the electrical measurement data for spatial localization.
Main Results:
- Achieved spatial localization of the qubit atom with a precision of ±2.5 nm in two directions and ±15 nm in the third direction.
- Demonstrated a 1500-fold improvement in localization precision compared to ion implantation parameters.
- Validated the noninvasive nature of the developed spatial metrology technique.
Conclusions:
- The developed electrical measurement and modeling technique offers a highly precise, noninvasive method for locating single dopant atoms in nanostructures.
- This advancement significantly enhances the ability to control and optimize the functionality of single-atom spin qubits and other nanoscale devices.
- The technique provides a critical metrology tool for the fabrication and characterization of next-generation quantum and spin-based technologies.
