Scientists at NIST and NTT Corp. have developed the first reproducible and controllable silicon transistors that operate using single electrons. These innovative transistors could lead to low-power nanoelectronics and next-generation integrated circuits for logic operations.
The transistors work by manipulating the voltage applied to barriers (gates) in the electrical circuit. At negative voltage, the transistor is off, while higher voltage turns it on, allowing individual electrons to flow through the circuit. Silicon-based devices offer finer control over electron flow compared to traditional metal-based SET devices.
The NIST/NTT team created five uniform, working silicon transistors with tunable barriers. Each device measures 360 nanometers long and 30 nanometers wide, with three gates crossing the channel. The upper gate controls the current on/off switch, while the lower gate manages electron flow in small local areas. The team successfully tuned gate conductance properties over a wide range, by more than three orders of magnitude.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2006/02/new-design-transistors-powered-single-electrons
Keywords: Electron, Tunneling, Transistors , Nanoelectronics , Silicon
