  Quantum dots are fabricated in a Ga[Al]As-heterostructure by local oxidation
with an atomic force microscope. This technique, in combination with top gate
voltages, allows us to generate steep walls at the confining edges and small
lateral depletion lengths. The confinement is characterized by low-temperature
magnetotransport measurements, from which the dots' energy spectrum is
reconstructed. We find that in small dots, the addition spectrum can
qualitatively be described within a Fock-Darwin model. For a quantitative
analysis, however, a hard-wall confinement has to be considered. In large dots,
the energy level spectrum deviates even qualitatively from a Fock-Darwin model.
The maximum wall steepness achieved is of the order of 0.4 meV/nm.
