Mechanism of Electron-Beam Manipulation of Single-Dopant Atoms in Silicon

Alexander Markevich; Bethany M. Hudak; Jacob Madsen; Jiaming Song; Paul C. Snijders; Andrew R. Lupini; Toma Susi

doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c03549

Mechanism of Electron-Beam Manipulation of Single-Dopant Atoms in Silicon

Alexander Markevich, Bethany M. Hudak, Jacob Madsen, Jiaming Song, Paul C. Snijders, Andrew R. Lupini, Toma Susi

electron Microscopy and Microanalysis

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

The precise positioning of dopant atoms within bulk crystal lattices could enable novel applications in areas including solid-state sensing and quantum computation. Established scanning probe techniques are capable tools for the manipulation of surface atoms, but at a disadvantage due to their need to bring a physical tip into contact with the sample. This has prompted interest in electron-beam techniques, followed by the first proof-of-principle experiment of bismuth dopant manipulation in crystalline silicon. Here, we use first-principles modeling to discover a novel indirect exchange mechanism that allows electron impacts to non-destructively move dopants with atomic precision within the silicon lattice. However, this mechanism only works for the two heaviest group V donors with split-vacancy configurations, Bi and Sb. We verify our model by directly imaging these configurations for Bi and by demonstrating that the promising nuclear spin qubit Sb can be manipulated using a focused electron beam.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	16041-16048
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Volume	125
Issue number	29
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c03549
State	Published - Jul 29 2021

Funding

The authors thank J. Meyers for the cross-section specimen preparation and J. Kotakoski for useful discussions. A.M., J.M., and T.S. were supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 756277-ATMEN) and acknowledge computational resources provided by the Vienna Scientific Cluster. Electron microscopy work (B.M.H. and A.R.L.) was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, and sample growth (P.C.S. and J.S.) by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy and performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility.

Funders	Funder number
CNMS
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science
Basic Energy Sciences
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme	756277
Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering
UT-Battelle
European Research Council

Access to Document

10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c03549

Cite this

@article{f3f1e321ca104e4293a7c3d85a03d7df,

title = "Mechanism of Electron-Beam Manipulation of Single-Dopant Atoms in Silicon",

abstract = "The precise positioning of dopant atoms within bulk crystal lattices could enable novel applications in areas including solid-state sensing and quantum computation. Established scanning probe techniques are capable tools for the manipulation of surface atoms, but at a disadvantage due to their need to bring a physical tip into contact with the sample. This has prompted interest in electron-beam techniques, followed by the first proof-of-principle experiment of bismuth dopant manipulation in crystalline silicon. Here, we use first-principles modeling to discover a novel indirect exchange mechanism that allows electron impacts to non-destructively move dopants with atomic precision within the silicon lattice. However, this mechanism only works for the two heaviest group V donors with split-vacancy configurations, Bi and Sb. We verify our model by directly imaging these configurations for Bi and by demonstrating that the promising nuclear spin qubit Sb can be manipulated using a focused electron beam.",

author = "Alexander Markevich and Hudak, {Bethany M.} and Jacob Madsen and Jiaming Song and Snijders, {Paul C.} and Lupini, {Andrew R.} and Toma Susi",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.",

year = "2021",

month = jul,

day = "29",

doi = "10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c03549",

language = "English",

volume = "125",

pages = "16041--16048",

journal = "Journal of Physical Chemistry C",

issn = "1932-7447",

publisher = "American Chemical Society",

number = "29",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Mechanism of Electron-Beam Manipulation of Single-Dopant Atoms in Silicon

AU - Markevich, Alexander

AU - Hudak, Bethany M.

AU - Madsen, Jacob

AU - Song, Jiaming

AU - Snijders, Paul C.

AU - Lupini, Andrew R.

AU - Susi, Toma

PY - 2021/7/29

Y1 - 2021/7/29

N2 - The precise positioning of dopant atoms within bulk crystal lattices could enable novel applications in areas including solid-state sensing and quantum computation. Established scanning probe techniques are capable tools for the manipulation of surface atoms, but at a disadvantage due to their need to bring a physical tip into contact with the sample. This has prompted interest in electron-beam techniques, followed by the first proof-of-principle experiment of bismuth dopant manipulation in crystalline silicon. Here, we use first-principles modeling to discover a novel indirect exchange mechanism that allows electron impacts to non-destructively move dopants with atomic precision within the silicon lattice. However, this mechanism only works for the two heaviest group V donors with split-vacancy configurations, Bi and Sb. We verify our model by directly imaging these configurations for Bi and by demonstrating that the promising nuclear spin qubit Sb can be manipulated using a focused electron beam.

AB - The precise positioning of dopant atoms within bulk crystal lattices could enable novel applications in areas including solid-state sensing and quantum computation. Established scanning probe techniques are capable tools for the manipulation of surface atoms, but at a disadvantage due to their need to bring a physical tip into contact with the sample. This has prompted interest in electron-beam techniques, followed by the first proof-of-principle experiment of bismuth dopant manipulation in crystalline silicon. Here, we use first-principles modeling to discover a novel indirect exchange mechanism that allows electron impacts to non-destructively move dopants with atomic precision within the silicon lattice. However, this mechanism only works for the two heaviest group V donors with split-vacancy configurations, Bi and Sb. We verify our model by directly imaging these configurations for Bi and by demonstrating that the promising nuclear spin qubit Sb can be manipulated using a focused electron beam.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111513046&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c03549

DO - 10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c03549

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85111513046

SN - 1932-7447

VL - 125

SP - 16041

EP - 16048

JO - Journal of Physical Chemistry C

JF - Journal of Physical Chemistry C

IS - 29

ER -

Mechanism of Electron-Beam Manipulation of Single-Dopant Atoms in Silicon

Abstract

Funding

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this