A Self‐Assembled Single‐Electron Tunneling Device

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Single‐electron tunneling devices were made by self‐assembly of colloidal ligand‐stabilized gold clusters in the small gap between two gold electrodes, which were covered with a self‐assembled monolayer of 1,8‐octanedithiol. With this method we control the size of the active part of the device which is smaller than the traditional lithographic resolution, with chemical methods and use self‐positioning of the particle by weak forces between the substrate and the particle. The current voltage characteristic of the devices exhibit a Coulomb staircase and gate effect at 4.2 K, and a prominent Coulomb blockade at room temperature.