Electrostatically defined quantum dots (QDs) in Bernal stacked bilayer graphene (BLG) are a promising quantum information platform because of their long spin decoherence times, high sample quality, and tunability. Importantly, the shape of QD states determine the electron energy spectrum, the interactions between electrons, and the coupling of electrons to their environment, all of which are relevant for quantum information processing. Despite its importance, the shape of BLG QD states remains experimentally unexamined. Here we report direct visualization of BLG QD states by using a scanning tunneling microscope. Strikingly, we find these states exhibit a robust broken rotational symmetry. By using a numerical tight-binding model, we determine that the observed broken rotational symmetry can be attributed to low energy anisotropic bands. We then compare confined holes and electrons and demonstrate the influence of BLG's nontrivial band topology. Our study distinguishes BLG QDs from prior QD platforms with trivial band topology.
Designing a thin film structure often begins with choosing a specific yet conventional film deposition method. In other words, a film deposition system in which two deposition methods complementary one another are physically yet practically hybridized should lead us to new ways of designing thin film structures with structural complexity controlled at a level that has never been envisioned. This premise inspired us to uniquely combine atomic layer deposition (ALD) and magnetron sputtering (SPU) within a single deposition chamber; the combined film deposition system is referred to as sputtering atomic layer augmented deposition (SALAD). SALAD allows us to take full advantages of both ALD's ensuring precise and accurate delivery of precursors and SPU's offering versatility in choosing a chemical element. A SALAD system was designed based on knowledge obtained by computational fluid dynamics with the goal of conceiving a film deposition system that satisfied deposition conditions distinctive for both ALD and SPU, and a prototype SALAD system was assembled by employing off-the-shelf vacuum components. As a demonstration, the SALAD system was utilized to deposit a unique nanocomposite made of a stack of aluminum oxide thin films by ALD and copper thin films by SPU -AlOx-Cu nanocompositeon a Si substrate. Spectroscopic reflectivity collected on the AlOx-Cu nanocomposite shows unique dispersion features to which conventional effective medium theories used for describing optical properties of composites made of a dielectric host that contains metallic inclusions do not seem to simply apply.
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