We have comparatively studied the effects of electron injection in individual phosphorus-donor potential wells at 13 K and 300 K by Kelvin probe force microscopy in silicon-on-insulator metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors. As a result, at 13 K, localized single-electron filling into the phosphorus-donor potential well is found, reflecting single-electron tunneling transport through individual donors, whereas at 300 K, spatially

We study interaction of single-electron current and incident photons in nanometer-scale phosphorus-doped silicon-on-insulator field-effect transistors. Trapping events of a photoexcited-electron by a trap donor are observed as random telegraph signals in single-electron-tunneling current flowing through a current-path donor. Trapping causes a potential change at the current-path donor, inducing a current change. An opposite current change is caused

Silicon field-effect transistors have now reached gate lengths of only a few tens of nanometers, containing a countable number of dopants in the channel. Such technological trend brought us to a research stage on devices working with one or a few dopant atoms. In this work, we review our most recent studies on key atom devices with fundamental structures of silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs, such as single dopant transistors, preliminary memory devices,

Kelvin probe force microscopy (KFM) working at low temperatures (13 K) is used to study local electronic potential fluctuations induced by individual phosphorus donors. Electronic potential maps were measured at the surface of thin phosphorus-doped channel of silicon-on-insulator field-effect transistors for different values of backgate voltage. We observed local changes of the potential profile with increasing backgate voltage, indicating electron

We have recently proposed and demonstrated a new device concept, “Si-based single-dopant atom device”, consisting of only one or a few dopant atoms in the channel of Si field-effect transistors. The device characteristics are determined by a dopant, which is mediating electron or hole transport between source and drain electrodes. In this paper, our recent results on electronic and photonic applications are introduced. Furthermore, single-dopant

Transistors have been significantly downsized over the past decades, reaching channel dimensions of around 100 nm. In nanoscale, quantum effects start to play a key role in device operation, allowing the development of applications based on new physics. In silicon nanodevices, for instance, the device downsizing is associated with a reduction of the number of impurities (dopants) incorporated in the channel. Dopants can play an active role in device

We describe single-electron transfer between two donors in thin silicon-on-insulator field-effect transistors with phosphorus-doped channel. At low temperatures, single-electron tunneling through one donor can be identified in source-drain current/gate voltage measurements as a single current peak. On this peak, we observed hysteresis most likely as a signature of single-electron transfer with another donor. The origin of single-electron transfer

We have demonstrated that Si single-electron SOI-MOSFETs with multidots channel have attractive new functions such as single-photon detection. Multidots formed by nanoscale selective oxidation of thin SOI layer have been used for photon detection. Most recently, we have investigated photon detection capabilities of FETs having phosphorus (P)-doped channel. In such P-doped FETs, each P donor works as a quantum dot for electrons and single-electron

An individual dopant atom may become the active unit of future electronic devices by mediating single-electron transport in nanoscale field-effect transistors. Single dopants can be accessed electrically even in a dopant-rich environment, offering the opportunity to develop applications based on arrays of dopants. Here, we focus on single-electron turnstile operation in arrays of dopant-induced quantum dots realized in highly-doped nanoscale transistors.

Low temperature Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (LT-KFM) can be used to monitor the electronic potential of individual dopants under an electric field. This capability is demonstrated for silicon-on-insulator field-effect-transistors (SOI-FETs) with a phosphorus-doped channel. We show results of the detection of individual dopants in Si by LT-KFM. Furthermore, we also observe single-electron charging in individual dopants located in the Si channel