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Silicon single-electron transistors

Published on 13 December 2018



Drain-Source conductance at low temperature showing periodic Coulomb oscillations determined by the size of the transistor gate.

We have developped a simple and highly reproducible single electron transistor (SET) using gated silicon nanowires. The structure is a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) made on silicon-on-insulator thin films within the CMOS platform of CEA-Leti in Grenoble.

The channel of the transistor is the Coulomb island at low temperature. Two silicon nitride spacers deposited on each side of the gate create a modulation of doping along the nanowire that creates tunnel barriers. Indeed doping modulation is achieved by using the gate and spacers as a mask for subsequent ion implantation of the access (source, drain) regions. Such barriers are fixed and controlled, like in metallic SETs. This scheme gives very regular oscillations and very low background charge noise.

Our research concentrates on the understanding of the quantum critical regime, and of the characterisation of new phases appearing in this regime.

Some Coulomb diamonds at 1K.

References:

Pierre M, Roche B, Wacquez R, Jehl X, Sanquer M, Vinet M
Intrinsic and doped coupled quantum dots created by local modulation of implantation in a silicon nanowire.
Journal of Applied Physics, 2011, 109: 084346

Pierre M, Wacquez R, Roche B, Jehl X, Sanquer M, Vinet M, Prati E, Belli M, Fanciulli M
Compact silicon double and triple dots realized with only two gates.
Applied Physics Letters, 2009, 95: 242107

Hofheinz M, Jehl X, Sanquer M, Cerutti R, Cros A, Coronel P, Brut H, Skotnicki T
Measurement of capacitances in multigate transistors by coulomb blockade spectroscopy.
IEEE transactions on Nanotechnology, 2008, 7: 74-78

Hofheinz M, Jehl X, Sanquer M, Molas G, Vinet M, Deleonibus S
Capacitance enhancement in Coulomb blockade tunnel barriers.
Physical Review B, 2007, 75: 235301

Hofheinz M, Jehl X, Sanquer M, Cueto O, Molas G, Vinet M, Deleonibus S
Capacitance measurements in nanometric silicon devices using Coulomb blockade.
Solid-State Electronics, 2007, 51: 560-564

Jehl X, Hofheinz M, Boehm M, Sanquer M, Molas G, Vinet M, Deleonibus S
Peak spacing statistics in silicon single-electron transistors: Size and gate oxide thickness dependence.
Physica E: Low-Dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, 2006, 34: 620-623

Hofheinz M, Jehl X, Sanquer M, Molas G, Vinet M, Deleonibus S
Simple and controlled single electron transistor based on doping modulation in silicon nanowires.
Applied Physics Letters, 2006, 89: 143504

Boehm M, Hofheinz M, Jehl X, Sanquer M, Vinet M, Previtali B, Fraboulet D, Mariolle D, Deleonibus S
Size scaling of the addition spectra in silicon quantum dots.
Physical Review B, 2005, 71: 033305



EEATS doctoral course (Marc Sanquer)