Nanocrystal quantum dot electronics and nanofabrication by electron beam ablation

Nanocrystal quantum dots are nanometer-scale structures with size-dependent electronic and optical properties that make them interesting for novel technological applications and for fundamental physics research. In this thesis, electronic properties of several types of semi-conductor nanocrystals are studied by integrating arrays of them into electrode-gap devices and measuring their conductivities with current-voltage characterization and charge-imaging. Additionally, novel nano-fabrication techniques were developed to assist in the studies of nanocrystals and nanostructures in general. Central to ail of this work has been the compatibility of electronic measurements and high-resolution imaging. This has allowed for greater insight into the nature of electron motion in nanocrystal arrays and also has been the enabling factor for realizing the nano-fabrication techniques