Si/SiO2 Structures with Quantum Size Effects: The Construction of a Low-Dimensional Nanoscale Electronic System in the Interface Layer of Si by Incorporating a Regularly Distributed Charge into SiO2

A novel approach to producing long-lived, reconfigurable, self-organized nanoscale electronic systems of a low dimension (quantum wells, wires, dots, superlattices, etc.) in a semiconductor is discussed. This approach consists of creating a regular charge distribution in an adjacent dielectric, so that a two-dimensional potential distribution is induced in the interface layer of the semiconductor. Advanced methods to generate a desired charge distribution in dielectrics are reviewed. They use (1) the local injection of electrons or ions into a thin dielectric layer by a precisely focused beam, (2) the local electronic or ionic polarization of dielectrics with a scanning tunneling microscope, or (3) nanoscale charge patterns that can be spontaneously formed by electrons or ions in dielectrics. The possible applications of the approach are considered in the context of the Si/SiO2 system.