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Ultrathin oxide-gated (thickness ∼6 nm) point-contact junctions have been fabricated to explore single-electron charging effects in strongly gate-dot-coupled polycrystallinesilicon transistors. Current–voltage (I–V) measurements show periodic current oscillations near room temperature. Analysis of the energy-level spacing relates the electron charging energy to a quantum dot of size ∼8 nm, and also suggests electron tunneling is via the first excited state. These low-power ∼30 pW and low-cost devices can be useful for the next generation nanoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we shall describe a method, utilizing the proximity effect in electron beam lithography, suitable for fabricating silicon dots and devices, and demonstrate the electronic characteristics of the Si single-electron transistor. The drain current (Id) of the device oscillates against gate voltage. The electrical characteristics of the single-electron transistor were observed to be consistent with the expected behavior of electron transport through gated quantum dots, at up to 150 K. The dependence of the electrical characteristics on the dot size reveals that the Id oscillation follows from the Coulomb blockade by poly-Si grains in the poly-Si dot. The method of fabrication of this device is completely compatible with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technology, raising the possibility of manufacturing large-scale integrated nanoelectronic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]