Numerical simulation of electron confinement in contiguous quantum wires

The purpose of this work is to present a study of isolation and coupling between parallel quantum wires, based on a highly efficient 2-D self-consistent solution approach for the coupled Schrödinger and Poisson equations.⁽¹⁾ We consider a modulation-doped structure where quantum wires are patterned with metal gates on the surface. In the configuration considered, the contiguous wires share a metal gate which delineates the common boundary. By changing the voltage on this gate, one can change the interaction of the wires from perfect isolation to total coupling. We present results showing how the width and the bias voltage of the common gate interplay. From this type of simulations, design guidelines can be determined, useful when both isolated and coupled quantum wires are fabricated.