Investigating stability and tunability of quantum dot transport in silicon MOSFETs via the application of electrical stress

In this work, we experimentally investigate the impact of electrical stress on the tunability of single hole transport properties within a p-type silicon MOSFET at a temperature of T = 2 K. This is achieved by monitoring Coulomb-blockade from three disorder based quantum dots at the channel-oxide interface, which are known to lack tunability as a result of their stochastic origin. Our findings indicate that when applying gate biases between −4 V and −4.6 V, nearby charge trapping enhances Coulomb-blockade leading to a stronger quantum dot confinement that can be reversed to the initial device condition after performing a thermal cycle reset. Re-applying stress then gives rise to a predictable response from reproducible changes in the quantum dot charging characteristics with consistent charging energy increases of up to ≈50% being observed. We reach a threshold above gate biases of −4.6 V, where the performance and stability become reduced due to device degradation occurring as a product of large-scale trap generation. The results not only suggest stress as an effective technique to enhance and reset charging properties but also offer insight on how standard industrial silicon devices can be harnessed for single charge transport applications.