Electron spins in lateral quantum dots

This thesis describes a series of experiments in order to understand and control the behavior of the spin and charge degree of freedom of single electrons, confined in semiconductor lateral quantum dots. This research work is motivated by the prospects of using the electron spin,rather than its charge, as a quantum bit (qubit), the basic building block of a quantum computer. In this thesis, a number of important steps towards the use of electron spins as qubits are reported: the fabrication process of lateral quantum dots, the isolation of single electrons in (double) quantum dots, energy spectroscopy of few-electron spin states, development of a new technique to probe a nearly-isolated quantum dot, `single-shot' read-out of the electron spin orientation, measurements ofthe spin relaxation time, and increased understanding of the interaction of the electron spin with its environment.