Applied Single-Electron Transistors

Dear Colleagues,

Single-electron transistors (SETs) were developed in the 1980s, and, in recent years, have been used in a number of new and exciting applications. SET operation is based on the Coulomb blockade effect, under which the number of electrons on the nanoscale island is quantized, but can be changed by adjusting a potential on a capacitively coupled gate. In this way, the gate potential governs the transport from source to drain tunnel junctions. The Coulomb blockade oscillations in source-drain conductance give SETs unique capabilities for charge detection, making them the most sensitive electrometers to date capable of detecting a tiny fraction of elementary electron charge. SETs are, therefore, naturally suitable as sensors for various electrometric applications on nanoscale, ranging from ultimately scaled computer architectures, including quantum computing, to DNA and molecular sensing. SETs are intrinsically very fast devices, with an upper bandwidth boundary in the GHz range. High-speed applications of SETs became a hot research topic when developments in microwave measurements were combined with the unique capabilities of SETs.

This Special Issue will explore the current state of SET research, and highlight recent developments as well as emerging areas. Submissions are especially encouraged in areas that push the boundaries of SET applications.

Prof. Dr. Greg Snider
Prof. Dr. Alexei Orlov
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.