Single-electron effects

This chapter discusses the phenomenon of Coulomb blockade, which takes place in small junctions. It first explains conditions of observing Coulomb blockade in single- or multiple junction systems and then details the orthodox theory of single-electron tunnelling, which consists of calculating the tunnelling rates and using them in a master equation for the charge states. This theory allows understanding of the properties of a single-electron transistor. The higher-order cotunneling is explained briefly. The phenomenon of dynamical Coulomb blockade arising in single junctions placed in high-resistance environments is discussed in detail. The chapter closes by describing main single-electron devices besides the conventional single-electron transistor: Coulomb blockade thermometer, radio frequency single-electron transistor, and a single electron pump.