Room temperature single electron transistor effect in a percolating film with nanoconstriction

Sergey Kubatkin, Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, S-41296 Göteborg, Sweden, Phone: +46-31-772 3470(office), Fax: +46-31-772 34 71,e-mail: kubatkin@fy.chalmers.se, WWW: http://fy.chalmers.se/~wallentn/ssp/adre/Kubatkin.html

We have developed a technique to create and probe nanosized tunneling structures in thin metallic films. Using oblique evaporation through conventional E-beam lithographic masks along with in situ control of the sample resistance we defined constrictions in with a width and length about 10nm in thin granular palladium films. The tunneling conductivity through the network of metallic grains was studied. Due to the specific mesoscopic effects in hopping conductivity such a network performed as a Single Electron Tunneling Transistor (SET). The Coulomb blockade about 0.1V was observed, and clearly modulated by the electrostatic gate at room temperature.