Probing the nanoelectromechanical properties of LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ SketchSETs

The LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (LAO/STO) interface exhibits a locally-tunable metal-insulator transition. This property can be applied to create nanoscale electronic devices such as sketched single-electron transistors (SketchSETs) at the LAO/STO interface. A SketchSET consists of a quantum dot coupled to source, drain, and gate electrodes. LAO/STO possesses a coupling between lattice distortion and carrier density; mechanical strain applied to the surface can tune the conductance at the interface. Leveraging this property may allow for strain-based control over the electron occupancy of a SketchSET. We use a cryogenic scanning probe microscope to create (at room temperature) and measure (at low temperature) the electronic properties of SketchSET devices and probe their unique nanoelectromechanical properties.