A self-assembled single-electron tunneling transistor

A single-electron tunneling transistor was made by capturing a chemically synthesized gold cluster between two gold electrodes. The transistor had a quasiperiodic modulation of the current–voltage characteristics as a function of a gate voltage applied to an oxidized aluminum electrode at 4.2 K. The Coulomb blockade voltage for this device was 50 mV observed at 4.2 K and room temperature. The maximum observed blockade voltage was 200 mV for devices without gate.