Room-temperature observation of the Coulomb blockade effects in Al two-terminal diodes fabricated using a focused ion-beam nanoparticle process

Al two-terminal diodes were fabricated on a basis of an artificial pattern formation method using focused ion-beam (FIB) techniques. The results of current–voltage and conductance–voltage measurements at room temperature showed the Coulomb staircase and the Coulomb blockade effects, respectively. The Coulomb blockade effects originate from the many nanoparticles created by the defects due to the Ga+ ion beam. These results indicate that Al two-terminal diodes fabricated by using the FIB system hold promise for potential applications in single-electron transistors operating at room temperature.