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By analyzing the temperature ͑T͒ and density ͑n͒ dependence of the measured conductivity ͑͒ of twodimensional ͑2D͒ electrons in the low-density ͑ϳ10 11 cm −2 ͒ and temperature ͑0.02-10 K͒ regimes of highmobility ͑1.0 and 1.5ϫ 10 4 cm 2 / Vs͒ Si metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, we establish that the putative 2D metal-insulator transition is a density-inhomogeneity-driven percolation transition where the density-dependent conductivity vanishes as ͑n͒ ϰ ͑n − n p ͒ p , with the exponent p ϳ 1.2 being consistent with a percolation transition. The "metallic" behavior of ͑T͒ for n Ͼ n p is shown to be well described by a semiclassical Boltzmann theory, and we observe the standard weak localization-induced negative magnetoresistance behavior, as expected in a normal Fermi liquid, in the metallic phase.The so-called two-dimensional ͑2D͒ metal-insulator transition ͑MIT͒ has been a subject 1,2 of intense activity and considerable controversy ever since the pioneering experimental discovery 3 of the 2D MIT phenomenon in Si metaloxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors ͑MOSFETs͒ by Kravchenko and Pudalov some 15 years ago. The apparent MIT has now been observed in almost all existing 2D semiconductor structures, including Si MOSFETs, 3,4 electrons, 5-7 and holes [8][9][10][11] in GaAs/AlGaAs, and electrons in Si/SiGe ͑Refs. 12 and 13͒ systems. The basic phenomenon refers to the observation of a carrier density-induced qualitative change in the temperature dependence of the resistivity ͑n , T͒, where n c is a critical density separating an effective "metallic" phase ͑n Ͼ n c ͒ from an "insulating" phase ͑n Ͻ n c ͒, exhibiting d / dT Ͼ 0͑Ͻ0͒ behavior typical of a metal ͑insulator͒.The high-density metallic behavior ͑n Ͼ n c ͒ often manifests in a large ͑by 25% for electrons in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures to factors of 2-3 in Si MOSFETs͒ increase in resistivity with increasing temperature in the lowtemperature ͑0.05-5 K͒ regime where phonons should not play much of a role in resistive scattering. The insulating regime, at least for very low ͑n Ӷ n c ͒ densities and temperatures, seems to be the conventional activated transport regime of a strongly localized system. The 2D MIT phenomenon occurs in relatively high-mobility systems, although the mobility values range from 10 4 cm 2 / Vs ͑Si MOSFET͒ to 10 7 cm 2 / Vs͑GaAs/ AlGaAs͒ depending on the 2D system under consideration. The 2D MIT phenomenon is also considered to be a low-density phenomenon although, depending on the 2D system under consideration, the critical density n c differs by 2 orders of magnitude ͑n c ϳ 10 11 cm −2 in 2D Si and ϳ10 9 cm −2 in high-mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures͒. The universal features of the 2D MIT phenomenon are ͑1͒ the existence of a critical density n c distinguishing an effective high-density metallic ͑d / dT Ͼ 0 for n Ͼ n c ͒ phase from an effective low-density insulating ͑d / dT Ͻ 0 for n Ͻ n c ͒ phase, and ͑2͒ while the insulating phase for n Ͻ n c seems mostly to manifest the conventional activated transport be...

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We present measurements of silicon ͑Si͒ metal-oxide-semiconductor ͑MOS͒ nanostructures that are fabricated using a process that facilitates essentially arbitrary gate geometries. Stable Coulomb-blockade behavior showing single-period conductance oscillations that are consistent with a lithographically defined quantum dot is exhibited in several MOS quantum dots with an open-lateral quantum-dot geometry. Decreases in mobility and increases in charge defect densities ͑i.e., interface traps and fixed-oxide charge͒ are measured for critical process steps, and we correlate low disorder behavior with a quantitative defect density. This work provides quantitative guidance that has not been previously established about defect densities and their role in gated Si quantum dots. These devices make use of a double-layer gate stack in which many regions, including the critical gate oxide, were fabricated in a fully qualified complementary metal-oxide semiconductor facility.

A method to fabricate single-crystal Si∕SiO2 multilayer heterostructures is presented. Heterostructures are fabricated by repeated transfer of single crystal silicon nanomembranes alternating with deposition of spin-on-glass. Nanomembrane transfer produces multilayers with low surface roughness and smooth interfaces. To demonstrate interface quality, the specular reflectivities of one-, two-, and three-membrane heterostructures are measured. Comparison of the measured reflectivity with theoretical calculations shows good agreement. Nanomembrane stacking allows for the preprocessing of individual membranes with a high thermal budget before the low thermal budget assembly of the stack, suggesting a new avenue for the three dimensional integration of integrated circuits.

Laterally coupled charge sensing of quantum dots is highly desirable, because it enables measurement even when conduction through the quantum dot itself is suppressed. In this work, we demonstrate such charge sensing in a double top gated MOS system. The current through a point contact constriction integrated near a quantum dot shows sharp 2% changes corresponding to charge transitions between the dot and a nearby lead. We extract the coupling capacitance between the charge sensor and the quantum dot, and we show that it agrees well with a 3D capacitance model of the integrated sensor and quantum dot system.

We present transport measurements of a tunable silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor double quantum dot device with lateral geometry. Experimentally extracted gate-to-dot capacitances show that the device is largely symmetric under the gate voltages applied. Intriguingly, these gate voltages themselves are not symmetric. Comparison with numerical simulations indicates that the applied gate voltages serve to offset an intrinsic asymmetry in the physical device. We also show a transition from a large single dot to two well isolated coupled dots, where the central gate of the device is used to controllably tune the interdot coupling.

Acoustic form factors have been used to model the frequency dependence of acoustic scattering in phantoms and tissues. This work demonstrates that a broad range of scatterer sizes, individually well represented by Faran theory or a Gaussian form factor is not accurately described by a single effective scatterer from either of these models. Contributions from a distribution of discrete scatterer sizes for two different form factor functions (Gaussian form factors and scattering functions from Faran’s theory) were calculated and linearly combined. Composite form factors created from Gaussian distributions of scatterer sizes centered at 50 µm with standard deviations of up to σ = 40µm were fit to each scattering model between 2 MHz and 12 MHz. Scatterer distributions were generated using one of two assumptions: the number density of the scatterer diameter distribution was Gaussian distributed, or the volume fraction of each scatterer diameter in the distribution was Gaussian distributed. Each simulated form factor was fit to a single diameter form factor model for Gaussian and exponential form factors. The mean squared error (MSE) between the composite simulated data and the best-fit single diameter model was smaller with an exponential form factor model, compared to a Gaussian model, for distributions with standard deviations larger than 30% of the centroid value. In addition, exponential models were shown to have better ability to distinguish between Faran scattering model-based distributions with varying center diameters than the Gaussian form factor model. The evidence suggests that when little is known about the scattering medium, an exponential scattering model provides a better first approximation to the scattering correlation function for a broad distribution of spherically symmetric scatterers than when a Gaussian form factor model is assumed.