Importance of symmetry breaking in two-dimensional lateral-surface superlattices

Chowdhury, S., Emeleus, C.J., Milton, B., Skuras, E., Long, A.R., Davies, J.H., Pennelli, G. and Stanley, C.R. (2000) Importance of symmetry breaking in two-dimensional lateral-surface superlattices. Physical Review B, 62(8), 4821 -4824. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.62.R4821)

Abstract

We have investigated commensurability oscillations in the magnetoresistances of two-dimensional lateral surface superlattices with square patterns and periods of 100 nm. In some of our samples the symmetry of the potential was broken by the presence of stress and strong piezoelectric effects. Oscillations were weak in symmetric samples, but became much stronger for transport along the [011] direction [on a (100) wafer] when the symmetry was broken. For transport along the [010] and [001] directions in the asymmetric samples, the dominant Fourier component in the potential was at an angle of 45 degrees to the transport direction, and the commensurability oscillations had an effective period of 100/ square root 2 nm. All of these observations are fully in accord with a recent semi-classical theory based on the guiding center drift concept.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Stanley, Professor Colin and Long, Professor Andrew and Chowdhury, Soumyadeb
• Authors: Chowdhury, S., Emeleus, C.J., Milton, B., Skuras, E., Long, A.R., Davies, J.H., Pennelli, G., and Stanley, C.R.
• Subjects: Q Science > QC Physics
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Physical Review B
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• ISSN: 1098-0121
• ISSN (Online): 1550-235X