Escape dynamics of a few electrons in a single-electron ratchet using silicon nanowire metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor

Abstract

Transport dynamics of a few electrons in a quantum dot are investigated in a single-electron ratchet using silicon nanowire metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. Time-resolved measurements in a nanosecond regime are carried out to determine the escape times of the first, second, and third electrons from the quantum dot originally containing three electrons. The escape time strongly depends on the number of electrons due to the single-electron charging effect in the quantum dot, which makes it possible to achieve selective ejection of a desired number of electrons.