Reconfigurable Multivalue Logic Functions of a Silicon Ellipsoidal Quantum-Dot Transistor Operating at Room Temperature

ACS Nano. 2021 Nov 23;15(11):18483-18493. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.1c08208. Epub 2021 Oct 21.

Abstract

Reconfigurable multivalue logic functions, which can perform the versatile arithmetic computation of weighted electronic data information, are demonstrated at room temperature on an all-around-gate silicon ellipsoidal quantum-dot transistor. The large single-hole transport energy of the silicon quantum ellipsoid allows the stable M-shaped Coulomb blockade oscillation characteristics at room temperature, and the all-around-gate structure of the fabricated transistor enables us to perform the precise self-control of the energetic Coulomb blockade conditions by changing the applied bias voltage. Such a self-controllability of the M-shaped Coulomb blockade oscillation characteristics provides a great advantage to choose multiple operation points for the reconfigurable multivalue logic functions. Consequently, the weighted data states (e.g., tri-value and quattro-value) are effectively demonstrated by utilizing only the device physics in the all-around-gate silicon ellipsoidal quantum-dot transistor. These findings are of great benefit for the practical application of the silicon quantum device at an elevated temperature for future nanoelectronic information technology.

Keywords: multivalue logic; quantum dot; room-temperature operation; silicon; single-electron tunneling.