In the 19th century, Shockley, Brattain, and Bardeen invented the transistor, launching the information age. Moore's law states that the number of transistors that can fit on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. A single-electron transistor consists of a small conductive island connected by tunnel junctions to source and drain electrodes and one or more gate electrodes. Its operation relies on the transfer of individual electrons between the source and drain through the island in a process called single-electron tunneling. Single-electron transistors allow for extremely sensitive electrometry and microwave detection due to their ability to detect the addition or removal of single electrons.

2. In 19th century Shockley, Brattain, Bardeen
In 19th century Shockley, Brattain, Bardeen
invented the information age “the transistor”.
invented the information age “the transistor”.
“Moore’s law” states that transistor density on
“Moore’s law” states that transistor density on
integrated circuit doubles at every two years.
integrated circuit doubles at every two years.

4.  A single-electron transistor consists of a small conducting island connected
to an source and drain leads by tunnel junctions and connected to one or
more gates.
 Source and drain electrodes are attached to the island via a tunnel barrier.
 operation relies on single electron tunneling through a Nano scale
junction.
 many electrons (1000-10, 000 electrons) simultaneously participate from
the source to the drain current in the conventional MOSFETs, electrons in
SET devices are transferred one-by-one through the channel.

5. Ec
δ
IF ENERGY IS NOT AVAILABLE TRANSPORT IS BLOCKED

6. Requirement on resistance
∆t=RC
typical time to charge/discharge of an island
∆E ∆t=(e^2/C)RC> h/(2π) Heisenberg uncertainty principle
To observe SET effects this condition must be fulfilled
h
RQ > 2
e
 kT  1
C < 
 e e
E C>>kT

7. CONSTANT INTERACTION MODEL
Electrostatics gives the following relation between the
different potentials and the charge Q on the island
(VD =0)
CVi-CggVgg=Q
CVi-C V =Q
Where the total charge is
This equation can be written in the form
with
i.e., the potential on the dot is determined by the
charge residing on it and by the induced potential V ext
of the source, drain and gate.
V = C V /C
V = C V /C
ext
ext
gg gg

9. Sketch of the electrostatic potential energy
experienced by an electron moving at the
interface between GaAs and AlGaAs
Space–energy diagrams of a singleelectron transistor in which electrons
are confined between two tunneling
barriers. The plunger gate voltage is
increased from (a) to (c).

10. With reference to previous slide
Schematic drawing of aaSET. Wires are connected to source and drain contacts to pass current
Schematic drawing of SET. Wires are connected to source and drain contacts to pass current
through the 2DEG at the GaAs/AlGaAs interface. Wires are also connected to the confining
through the 2DEG at the GaAs/AlGaAs interface. Wires are also connected to the confining
electrodes to bias them negatively and to the gate electrode that controls the electrostatic
electrodes to bias them negatively and to the gate electrode that controls the electrostatic
energy of the confined electrons.
energy of the confined electrons.

11. Conductance of a SET as a function of the gate voltage. The spacing
between the peaks is the voltage necessary to add one electron to the
artificial atom.

14. Initial device structure of SET
SIMOX
wafer. A
type of
SOI.
Conductance oscillations as a function of the gate
voltage measured at 300 K at a drain voltage of 10 mV.

15. Initial structure of the twin
SETs before V-PADOX
Conductance
oscillations as a
function of the gate
voltage measured at 40
K and at a
drain voltage of 10 mV.

17. Supersensitive electrometry:-
If the source-drain voltage to a singleelectron transistor is slightly above its
Coulomb blockade threshold, source-drain
current through the device is extremely
sensitive to the gate voltage.
Microwave detection:-
The videoresponse ("photoresponse") of singleelectron systems to electromagnetic radiation
with frequency f=Ec/h. Microwave has low
frequency, and so low energy, so detection
would not have been possible without SET.

19. OTHER
GRID SYSTEM
SINGLE
ELECTRON MOS
MEMORY
TEMPERATURE
STANDARDS
NOVORAM
SCALING OF
FLASH MEMORY
DEVICES

21. SET+CMOS+SETMOS
SET+CMOS+SETMOS
 SETs
and
CMOS
SETs
and
CMOS
transistors in SETMOS
transistors in SETMOS
devices can provide
devices can provide
enough gain and current
enough gain and current
drive to perform logic
drive to perform logic
functions on aa much
functions on
much
smaller scale than
smaller scale than
possible with just an
possible with just an
CMOS.
CMOS.
More uses of electrometers
More uses of electrometers
 Electrometers based on
SET transistors could
also be used to
measure the quantum
superposition of charge
states in a island
connected by a tunnel
junction
to
a
superconductor.

23.  M. A. Kastner, “The single electron transistor and artificial atoms”, Ann. Phy.
 M. A. Kastner, “The single electron transistor and artificial atoms”, Ann. Phy.
(Leipzig), vol. 9, pp. 885-895, 2000.
(Leipzig), vol. 9, pp. 885-895, 2000.
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 http://sergeyfrolov.wordpress.com/teaching/
 http://sergeyfrolov.wordpress.com/teaching/
 Solid State Electronic Devices(sixth edition) Ben G. Streetman, Sanjay Kumar
 Solid State Electronic Devices(sixth edition) Ben G. Streetman, Sanjay Kumar
Banerjee
Banerjee
 Electronics fundamental and applications(11th edition) D. Chattopadhyay, P.C. Rakshit
 Electronics fundamental and applications(11th edition) D. Chattopadhyay, P.C. Rakshit
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 http://www.engineering.usu.edu/classes/ece/6430/fabrication1.pdf
 http://www.engineering.usu.edu/classes/ece/6430/fabrication1.pdf
 http://luciano.stanford.edu/~shimbo/set.html
 http://luciano.stanford.edu/~shimbo/set.html
 http://www.physicsandastronomy.pitt.edu/content/jeremy-levy
 http://www.physicsandastronomy.pitt.edu/content/jeremy-levy
 Sketched oxide single-electron transistor", Guanglei Cheng, Pablo F. Siles, Feng Bi,
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Cheng Cen,Daniela F. Bogorin, Chung Wung Bark, Chad M. Folkman, Jae-Wan Park,
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Chang-Beom Eom, Gilberto Medeiros-Ribeiro and Jeremy Levy, Nature
Chang-Beom Eom, Gilberto Medeiros-Ribeiro and Jeremy Levy, Nature
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 users.physik.fu-berlin.de/~pascual/.../SS20314-Lesung%2010d.PDF
 http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/physics/forms/profilesearch.cgi?
 http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/physics/forms/profilesearch.cgi?
lastname=Averin&firstname=Dmitri
lastname=Averin&firstname=Dmitri

25. Biswadeep das
Sankhasubhra Sengupta
Arghya Acharjee
Ishika Biswas
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