Fabrication of self-aligned metallic Coulomb blockade devices on Si nanowires

A self-aligned metallic single-electron tunneling transistor was fabricated on a Separated by Implanted Oxygen substrate. An array of 10-50 gold islan ds of 1-3 nm diameter was isolated between source and drain electrodes on a silicon nanowire. This design reduces the number of transport paths by res tricting the number of active nanodots between source and drain. The island s were deposited by a retarding field single ion deposition method, whereby the island sizes and separations could be varied by adjusting landing ener gy and dose. An undercut beneath the nanowire was used to separate the side gates from the multiple tunnel junction. Coulomb blockade was observed in the source drain characteristics at 77 K. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-211X(98)04506-5].