Single-electron transport through single and coupling dopant atoms in silicon junctionless nanowire transistor*

Abstract

We investigated single-electron tunneling through single and coupling dopant-induced quantum dots (QDs) in silicon junctionless nanowire transistor (JNT) by varying temperatures and bias voltages. We observed that two possible charge states of the isolated QD confined in the axis of the initial narrowest channel are successively occupied as the temperature increases above 30 K. The resonance states of the double single-electron peaks emerge below the Hubbard band, at which several subpeaks are clearly observed respectively in the double oscillated current peaks due to the coupling of the QDs in the atomic scale channel. The electric field of bias voltage between the source and the drain could remarkably enhance the tunneling possibility of the single-electron current and the coupling strength of several dopant atoms. This finding demonstrates that silicon JNTs are the promising potential candidates to realize the single dopant atom transistors operating at room temperature.

Transport spectroscopy from Hubbard bands of dopant-induced quantum dot array to one-dimensional conduction subband

“…Due to the unique bulk transport mechanism of the JNT, the lowest potential point is at the central axis of the channel (the right panel of figure 4(c)). At the initial conducting stage, a filamentous nanowire conduction channel is formed along the central axis of the Si nanowire and radially broaden as V g increases [49]. The isolated dopant atoms located at the central axis are strongly confined and orderly arrayed by the gate potential (the left panel of figure 4(c)).…”

Bias-dependent hole transport through a multi-channel silicon nanowire transistor with single-acceptor-induced quantum dots

“…32 Quantum transport through dopant-induced QDs in single-channel JNTs has been reported by several research groups. 33–36 In particular, single-charge-transistor operation has been demonstrated by a single-acceptor quantum dot in a p-type JNT. 33 Furthermore, the depth position of individual boron acceptors has also been qualitatively identified by tracing the gate-dependent conductance.…”