SINGLE ELECTRON TRANSISTOR

  A single-electron transistor (SET) is a switching device that consists of two tunnel junctions sharing a common electrode and makes use of this controlled electron tunneling for amplification of current. The technology used in single-electron transistors is based on the theory of quantum tunneling. Considered an important component of nanotechnology, single-electron transistors provide high operating speed and low power consumption.A single-electron transistor is usually made by keeping two tunnel junctions in series. The transistor consists of a source electrode and a source drain, which is joined with the help of a tunneling island that is also capacitively connected to a gate. The electrons can travel to another electrode only through the insulator. The resistance feature of a single-electron transistor depends on the size of the nanoparticles, capacitance ad electron tunneling. Single-electron transistors have many applications. They can be used as ultrasensitive microwave detectors and can also be used to detect infrared signals at room temperature. They are also efficient charge sensors capable of reading spin or charge qubits. Their high sensitivity feature allows them to be used as electrometers in experiments

 requiring high levels of specificity.

 

article by

BHUSHAN LOKHANDE