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Gold Nanoparticles on Functionalized Silicon Substrate under Coulomb Blockade Regime: An Experimental and Theoretical
Olivier Pluchery1, Louis Caillard1,2, Philippe Dollfus3
1Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06 , CNRS, Institut des Nanosciences de Paris, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|October 26, 2017
Summary
We demonstrate a novel single electron transistor using gold nanoparticles on silicon. This device exhibits reproducible Coulomb blockade and its characteristics can be tuned by substrate doping, paving the way for advanced nanoelectronics.
Area of Science:
- Nanoelectronics
- Quantum Computing
- Materials Science
Background:
- Single charge electronics enable precise current control at the one-electron level.
- Coulomb blockade is a key phenomenon for manipulating electron transport in nanoelectronic devices.
- Existing methods for achieving Coulomb blockade often face challenges in reproducibility and tunability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel single electron transistor (SET) utilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as Coulomb islands.
- To investigate the Coulomb staircase characteristics of a double tunnel junction device.
- To explore the influence of silicon substrate doping on the device's electronic properties.
Main Methods:
- Assembly of a double tunnel junction device on an oxide-free silicon substrate.
- Fabrication of the first tunnel junction using a grafted organic monolayer (GOM) for AuNP attachment.
- Utilizing a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip for the second tunnel junction.
- Experimental characterization at 40 K in vacuum and development of a simulation model based on orthodox theory.
Main Results:
- Reproducible Coulomb blockade current-voltage (I-V) curves were observed at 40 K.
- The Coulomb staircase characteristics were shown to be adjustable by varying the silicon substrate doping.
- A simulation model accurately predicted experimental data, including doping-dependent Coulomb oscillations.
Conclusions:
- The developed device demonstrates a viable approach for single electron transistors.
- Substrate doping offers a method for tuning the performance of Coulomb blockade devices.
- This research opens new avenues for designing advanced SETs based on charge carrier concentration.
