Abstract
Electron pumps capable of delivering a current higher than 100pA with sufficient accuracy are likely to become the direct mise en pratique of the possible new quantum definition of the ampere. Furthermore, they are essential for closing the quantum metrological triangle experiment which tests for possible corrections to the quantum relations linking e and h, the electron charge and the Planck constant, to voltage, resistance and current. We present here single-island hybrid metal/semiconductor transistor pumps which combine the simplicity and efficiency of Coulomb blockade in metals with the unsurpassed performances of silicon switches. Robust and simple pumping at 650MHz and 0.5K is demonstrated. The pumped current obtained over a voltage bias range of 1.4mV corresponds to a relative deviation of 5e-4 from the calculated value, well within the 1.5e-3 uncertainty of the measurement setup. Multi-charge pumping can be performed. The simple design fully integrated in an industrial CMOS process makes it an ideal candidate for national measurement institutes to realize and share a future quantum ampere.
Highlights
Linking measurement units to quantum effects rather than to artefacts is a major achievement of modern science [1]
Such a current is necessary for the quantum metrological triangle experiment that consists of achieving Ohm’s law between the three effects used in quantum electrical metrology: the Josephson effect, the quantum Hall effect, and the single-electron tunneling effect
The first experiments presented here on an industrial complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor electron pump have mostly been performed at 650 MHz, in order to produce a pumped current of the order of 100 pA, high enough to be relevant for the quantum metrological triangle experiment
Summary
Linking measurement units to quantum effects rather than to artefacts is a major achievement of modern science [1]. A single-electron-transistor current standard based on an electron pump driven at a frequency f, producing a quantized current I 1⁄4 Nef (where N is an integer) with an amplitude of 100 pA or more, could be used for the realization of the new ampere Such a current is necessary for the quantum metrological triangle experiment that consists of achieving Ohm’s law between the three effects used in quantum electrical metrology: the Josephson effect (voltage), the quantum Hall effect (resistance), and the single-electron tunneling effect (current). Metallic pumps with fixed-height oxide tunnel barriers and multiple Coulomb islands reached a relative accuracy in the 10À8 range, with up to six islands in a series between seven tunnel junctions [9,10] Their complex operation was simplified by using only three junctions while lowering errors due to cotunneling with resistors [11]. IV focuses on experiments designed to assess the stability and accuracy of the pump
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