Under its present definition, the ampere cannot be realised with sufficient accuracy (0.1 parts per million or better) to meet the needs of routine electrical metrology. There is a need for the development and characterisation of single-electron current sources, with performance suitable for metrological applications.

In this work, single electronic sources were silicon double-gate silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs, equipped with the two gates in series and an additional backgate, called as electron pumps. A metallic dot was placed (under the channel) in between the two top gates that act as two tuneable barriers on both sides of the dot, hence allowing fast open/closure of the barriers to allow entry/exit of an electron through it. For pumping operation, two identically phase shifted radio frequency signals were applied to the two gates, which in turn created an elliptic trajectory depending on the phase and an electron (or multiple) can be pumped over a complete cycle of operation over the trajectory. In this project, an experimental procedure for the operation of SOI-CMOS pumps was developed and Key parameters for SOI-CMOS pump device design and operation were identified for high frequency operation (500 MHz to 1 GHz) in order to produce a pumped current > 100 pA.

Related Publications:

• X. Jehl, B. Voisin, T. Charron, P. Clapera, S. J. Ray, B. Roche, M. Sanquer, S. Djordjevic, L. Devoille, R. Wacquez, M. Vinet - Hybrid Metal-Semiconductor Electron Pump for Quantum Metrology, Physical Review X,3, 021012 (2013).

• P. Clapera, S. J. Ray,X. Jehl, M. Sanquer, A. Valentian, S. Barraud - Design and cryogenic operation of a hybrid quantum-CMOS circuit, Physical Review Applied (APS), 4,044009(2015)

• S. J. Ray, P. Clapera, X. Jehl, T. Charron, S. Djordjevic, L. Devoille, E. Potanina, G. Barinovs, V. Kashcheyevs- Modelling of an adiabatic tunable-barrier electron pump, Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements, 446 - 447, 2014, Brazil [DOI: 10.1109/CPEM.2014.6898451].

• P. Clapera, S. J. Ray, X. Jehl, M. Sanquer, A. Valentian, S. Barraud – A quantum device driven by an ON-Chip CMOS ring oscillator, 11^th IEEE International Workshop on Low Temperature Electronics, 73-76, 2014 [DOI: 10.1109/WOLTE.2014.6881029].

• T. Charron, L. Devoille, S. Djordjevic, O. Seron, F. Piquemal, P. Clapera, S. J. Ray, X. Jehl, R. Wacquez, M. Vinet- Characterization of hybrid metal/semiconductor electron pumps for quantum metrology, Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements, 442 - 443, 2014, Brazil [DOI: 10.1109/CPEM.2014.6898449].