Some outlines of circuit applications for a single-electron 2-island subcircuit

To benefit from the reduction of the devices’ feature sizes new circuit concepts can be introduced. These new circuits will require new devices, such as singleelectronic devices. Single-electronics devices are capable of controlling the transport of only one electron. In this manner, the charge transfer through the device is quantized. However, single-electronics is still a highly experimental technology. As an example of single-electronics we discuss circuits based on the so-called single-electron tunneling (SET) device, including tunnel junctions. One of the basic issues is the development of circuits able to exploit the device performance. In this paper we analyze some potential applications of the single-electron 2-island subcircuit. A special example of this subcircuit, namely the electron pump, use the Coulomb blockade to control the electrons through a sequence of ultra-small tunnel junctions. The device is essentially an electron counter, and with proper design it can be highly accurate.