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Towards a circuit theory for metallic single‐electron tunnelling devices
Author(s) -
Hoekstra J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of circuit theory and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.364
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1097-007X
pISSN - 0098-9886
DOI - 10.1002/cta.412
Subject(s) - quantum tunnelling , coulomb blockade , electronic circuit , tunnel junction , equivalent circuit , electrical engineering , capacitor , physics , electron , electrical element , electronic engineering , quantum mechanics , engineering , voltage , transistor
A circuit theory for metallic single‐electron tunnelling (SET) junctions is presented. In detail circuits with a single SET junction in arbitrary environments are described. Based on the conservation of energy in the circuits—a fundamental circuit theorem—equivalent circuit elements are proposed and possible physical justifications are presented. The resulting model represents the tunnel event by an impulse current source, the junction by a charged capacitor, and the tunnelling condition as a discrete process based on local circuit parameters—and may include a tunnelling time. Simple examples illustrate Coulomb blockade, Coulomb oscillations, and continuous direct tunnelling. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.