Self-consistent analysis of single-electron charging effects in quantum-dot nanostructures

We perform a numerical self-consistent simulation of single-electron charging effects in an experimentally fabricated quantum-dot nanostructure. We use an iterative approach based on an extraction-orthogonalization method for solving the stationary Schrödinger equation. All relevant quantized regions in the structure are incorporated along with a numerical treatment of the Coulomb blockade and exchange correlation. Transport properties of the structure are evaluated in the adiabatic approximation using an interacting form of the Landauer formula. The theoretically calculated conductance data exhibit good agreement with experiment with respect to peak periodicity but show a strong discrepancy with regard to peak amplitude. This suggests that a high-order effect such as interface disorder may play a large role in determining electronic transmission through tunnel barriers.