Room-temperature single-electron charging in electrochemically synthesized semiconductor quantum dot and wire array

Cylindrical quantum dots of diameter ∼8 nm and height 3–10 nm, and wires of diameter 50 nm and height 500–1000 nm, were self-assembled by electrodepositing semiconductors in the nanometer-sized pores of anodic alumina films. Current–voltage characteristics of both wires and dots show Coulomb blockade at room temperature, while the wires also show a Coulomb staircase when exposed to infrared radiation. These results establish that electrochemical self-assembly is a viable technique for producing nanostructures that have potential uses in room-temperature single electronics.