Single-Electron Traps: A Quantitative Comparison of Theory and Experiment

TL;DR

This study compares theoretical models and experimental data on single-electron traps, demonstrating reasonable agreement and identifying sources of discrepancies related to nanostructure geometry uncertainties.

Contribution

It provides a quantitative comparison between theory and experiment for single-electron traps, using geometrical modeling and circuit simulation.

Findings

Good agreement for charge trap characteristics unaffected by offset charges

Discrepancies explained by uncertainties in nanostructure geometry

Quantitative validation of modeling approaches for single-electron devices

Abstract

We have carried out a coordinated experimental and theoretical study of single-electron traps based on submicron aluminum islands and aluminum oxide tunnel junctions. The results of geometrical modeling using a modified version of MIT's FastCap were used as input data for the general-purpose single-electron circuit simulator MOSES. The analysis indicates reasonable quantitative agreement between theory and experiment for those trap characteristics which are not affected by random offset charges. The observed differences between theory and experiment (ranging from a few to fifty percent) can be readily explained by the uncertainty in the exact geometry of the experimental nanostructures.