ABSTRACT
This chapter presents techniques for capacitance spectroscopy on electronic devices in presence of quantum mechanical effects due to tight charge confinement. It covers number of examples of how to fabricate quantum dots from different materials. The chapter explores the quantitative analysis of the stability diagram of a quantum dot and presents how the constant interaction model enables to extract capacitances and lever arm factors of the dot. It discusses the concept of quantum capacitance in zero dimensional objects. The discussion has spanned single-charge devices, huge family containing devices of different architectures and materials where quantum dots can be formed, as well as commercial ultrascaled transistors where the quantum capacitance becomes crucial for their operability. The model is usually applied in transport spectroscopy to determine the capacitive network of the dot by means of the stability diagrams with the characteristic pattern of Coulomb diamonds. The quantum capacitance due to single-charge dynamics can be probed by means of radio frequency reflectometry.
