Electron Transport through Double Quantum Dot System with Inter-Dot Coulomb Interaction

A theoretical approach to a problem of electron transport through double quantum dot systems based on non-equilibrium Green function formalism using equation of motion method is presented. I-V characteristics and differential conductance are calculated and discussed in detail in the intermediate regime with tunneling rate between the quantum dots comparable to coupling constants with external electrodes. Effects of inter-dot Coulomb correlations are studied for various values of interaction parameter U. It is shown that the interaction influences transport properties in a pronounced way and apart from the simple Coulomb blockade additional effects can be obtained. When energy levels of two quantum dots are not aligned, the asymmetry in conductance characteristics is closely related to a voltage dependence of population numbers in both quantum dots. For a one bias polarization electrons are well localized in quantum dots in a low voltage region, whereas for the opposite one they are partly delocalized.