Superconducting Quantum Interference Single-Electron Transistor

TL;DR

This paper introduces a superconducting quantum interference single-electron transistor that uses magnetic flux to control charge transfer, enabling a tunable and efficient single-electron source with potential applications in quantum electronics.

Contribution

It presents a novel concept combining Coulomb blockade and flux-controlled superconducting proximity effect for precise single-electron charge pumping.

Findings

Flux-dependent energy gap enables tunable charge barriers

Device functions as a single-electron turnstile

Enhanced control over electron transfer processes

Abstract

We propose the concept of a quantized single-electron source based on the interplay between Coulomb blockade and magnetic flux-controllable superconducting proximity effect. We show that flux dependence of the induced energy gap in the density of states of a nanosized metallic wire can be exploited as an efficient tunable energy barrier which enables charge pumping configurations with enhanced functionalities. This control parameter strongly affects the charging landscape of a normal metal island with non-negligible Coulombic energy. Under a suitable evolution of a time-dependent magnetic flux the structure behaves likewise a turnstile for single electrons in a fully electrostatic regime.