Realisation of a single-atom transistor in silicon

Abstract

We demonstrate the fabrication of a single-atom transistor based on an individual phosphorus (P) donor atom in a crystalline silicon environment. Using a scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM)-based lithography approach, the single atom is deterministically placed with a spatial accuracy of one silicon lattice site within a gated transport device. Electronic measurements at liquid Helium temperatures and below confirm the presence of the single P donor and show that the donor's charge state can be precisely controlled via gate voltages. We observe a charging energy that is remarkably similar to the value expected for isolated P donors in bulk silicon, which is in sharp contrast to previous exp..