CMOS-compatible fabrication of room-temperature single-electron devices

Abstract

Devices in which the transport and storage of single electrons are systematically controlled could lead to a new generation of nanoscale devices and sensors. The attractive features of these devices include operation at extremely low power, scalability to the sub-nanometre regime and extremely high charge sensitivity. However, the fabrication of single-electron devices requires nanoscale geometrical control, which has limited their fabrication to small numbers of devices at a time, significantly restricting their implementation in practical devices. Here we report the parallel fabrication of single-electron devices, which results in multiple, individually addressable, single-electron devices that operate at room temperature. This was made possible using CMOS fabrication technology and implementing self-alignment of the source and drain electrodes, which are vertically separated by thin dielectric films. We demonstrate clear Coulomb staircase/blockade and Coulomb oscillations at room temperature and also at low temperatures.

Synchronization of coupled single-electron circuits based on nanoparticles and tunneling junctions

“…[7][8][9] These devices could form the basis of a new generation of processing information systems, although severe fabrication challenges have made practical implementations difficult. The experimental characterization and modeling of particular systems are receiving much attention at the elementary device level.…”

Nanofabrication for Molecular Scale Devices

“…Similar approaches for parallel fabrication of nanodevices were also developed by other groups. For example Ray et al reported a CMOS-compatible fabrication of room temperature single-electron devices having source and drain electrodes vertically separated by a thin dielectric film (Ray et al, 2008). Concerning the problem of good and reproducible contacts, T. Dadosh et al (Dadosh et al, 2005) proposed the use of two gold nanoparticles (NPs) to contact a conductive organic molecule in a controlled way (Figure 9).…”

Single electron spintronics

“…Coulomb blockade (CB)-based devices have been realized in a number of different semiconductor [6], metallic [7,8] and organic materials systems [9,10]. Wafer-scale parallel fabrication of devices showing room temperature single electron effects has recently been demonstrated by Ray et al [11].…”