Single-electron inverter

A single-electron inverter was fabricated that switches from a high output to a low output when a fraction of an electron is added to the input. For the proper operation of the inverter, the two single-electron transistors that make up the inverter must exhibit voltage gain. Voltage gain was achieved by fabricating a combination of parallel-plate gate capacitors and small tunnel junctions in a two-layer circuit. Voltage gain of 2.6 was attained at 25 mK and remained larger than one for temperatures up to 140 mK. The temperature dependence of the gain agrees with the orthodox theory of single-electron tunneling. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.