11

Master Equation - Based Numerical Simulation

in a Single Electron Transistor Using Matlab
Ratno Nuryadi
Center for Material Technology
Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology, Jakarta
Indonesia

1. Introduction
Recent modern fabrication technology allows us for the fabrication of nanometer-scaled
devices, which is possible to observe single electronic or single electron tunneling phenomena
(Averin & Likharev, 1991; Likharev, 1988; Likharev, 1999; Hanna et al., 1991; Tucker, 1992). On
the other hand, MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor) devices with
channel length below 20 nanometer (nm) are no more properly operated because the down-
scaling of MOS devices causes a large statistical fluctuation of the threshold voltage. A possible
approach to overcome this problem is to use the single electron devices for future VLSI (very
large scale integrated circuit) (Takahashi et al., 1995; Saitoh et al., 2001).
Nanometer scale single electron devices have the following features, i.e., low power
consumption and small size. These are key features to realize ultra high density circuits.
Single electron circuits with new architecture are also possible because the basic operation of
single electron devices is quite different from that of conventional semiconductor devices.
There are two major requirements for single electron tunneling phenomena (Coulomb
blockade) to occur (Averin & Lhikarev, 1991; Likharev, 1988; Likharev, 1999). Firstly,
thermal energy must be much smaller than elemental charging energy ⁄ . This
ensures that the transport of charges is in fact governed by the Coulomb charging energy.
This condition can be fulfilled either by lowering the temperature or by decreasing the
capacitance which means to reduce the island size. Usually, experiments are performed at
temperatures of a few mK and for structures with island sizes of a few hundred nanometers.
Second requirement is related to tunnel resistance which must exceed the quantum
resistance (ℎ⁄ ≈ . kΩ). This condition ensures that the wave functions of excess
electrons between the barriers are basically localized. On the other word, in the case of lower
tunnel resistance, excess charges extend over the barriers so that no single electron tunneling
event can be possible.
There are several types of circuits where the single electron tunneling phenomena are being
explored, such as single electron box (Likharev, 1999), single electron transistor (SET) (Tucker,
1992; Takahashi et al., 1995; Saitoh et al., 2001; Wolf et al., 2010; Sun et al., 2011; Lee et al., 2009),
single electron pump (Ono et al., 2003), single electron turnstile (Moraru et al., 2011) and single
electron circuits with several junctions (1D and 2D arrays) (Nuryadi et al., 2003; Nuryadi et al.,
2005). A double junction system is most important single electron circuit because of a basic
component of SET. At small applied voltage, the system remains in the Coulomb blockade
state, and no current flows through the double junctions. On the other hand, at higher applied

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240 Numerical Simulations of Physical and Engineering Processes

voltage, the Coulomb blockade is defeated and the electrons can tunnel through the junctions
and finally the current flows. If the island between two tunnel junctions is electrostatically
controlled by the gate capacitance, the system became single electron transistor. This device is
reminiscent of a MOSFET, but with a small island (dot) embedded between two tunnel
capacitors/junctions, instead of the usual inversion channel.
It is well known that a numerical simulation of the devices could help a great deal in their
understanding of the devices. However, although so far several groups have reported the
simulation and modeling of single electron tunneling devices (Amman et al., 1991; Kirihara et
al., 1994; Fonseca et al., 1997; Wasshuber et al., 1997; Nuryadi et al., 2010), numerical
simulation with detail explanation and easy examples is still needed, especially for beginners
in the field of single electron devices. Basically there are two methods to simulate the single
electron phenomena, i.e., master equation (Amman et al., 1991; Nuryadi et al., 2010) and
Monte Carlo methods (Kirihara et al., 1994; Fonseca et al., 1997; Wasshuber et al., 1997).
The goal of this chapter is to simulate numerically current-voltage characteristics in the
single electron transistor based on master equation. A master equation for the probability
distribution of electrons in the SET dot (see Fig. 1) is obtained from the stochastic process,
allowing the calculation of device characteristics. First, I will start with an introduction of
the basic equations in Master equation (section II). Next, the derivation of free energy
change due to electron tunneling event is discussed in section III. The flowchart of
numerical simulation based on Master equation and the Matlab implementation will be
discussed in section IV and V, respectively. The examples of simulation resuls are presented
in section V. Finally, section VI is conclusion.

2. Basic equations in master equation based simulation

Figure 1 shows the SET circuit consisting of a dot between the source and drain electrodes
separated by tunnel capacitors and . Both tunnel capacitors and have tunnel
resistances and , respectively. The dot is also coupled to the gate electrode with
capacitor in order to control the current flow. The total capacitance between the dot and
the outer environment can be writen as , where

= + + . (1)

Fig. 1. Single electron transistor has a structure of the dot in the center coupled by two
tunnel capacitors ( and ) and a gate capacitor . Source is connected to a ground,
where drain and gate are applied by voltages and (Tucker, 1992).

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Master Equation - Based Numerical Simulation in a Single Electron Transistor Using Matlab 241

There are four main equations for current-voltage characteristics of single electron circuits,
i.e., free energy change ∆ , tunneling probability/rate , steady state master equation and
current equation , as follows.
Free energy change:

±
∆ , = ± − ∓ + ± (2a)

±
∆ , = ∓ − ∓ ∓ (2b)

Tunneling probability/rate:
±
± −∆
= ±
(3a)
− ∆ ⁄

±
± −∆
= ±
(3b)
− ∆ ⁄
Steady State Master equation:

+ = + + + + (4)
Current equation:

= ∑ − = ∑ − (5)
where e is the elemental charge, is the Boltzmann constant, is the temperature, is the
number of electrons in the dot, and are a number of electrons flows through the
capacitor and capacitor , respectively, is the background charge and +/- express that
the electron tunnels through the capacitor with the direction from left to the right and from
right to the left, respectively.
Equations (2a) and (2b) are used to calculate the free (electrostatic) energy change ∆ of the
system due to the one electron tunneling event. It is important to be noted that only tunneling
events decreasing the electrostatic energy (and dissipating the difference) are possible.
The values ∆ from equations (2a) and (2b) are used to calculate electron tunneling
probability in the equations (3a) and (3b), respectively. The tunneling of a single electron
through a particular tunnel junction is always a random event, with a certain rate (i.e.,
probability per unit time) which depends solely on the ∆ . Equation (4) expresses the
Master equation in steady state, resulting the value of , which is necessary to be used
for the current calculation in equation (5).

3. Derivation of free energy change in single electron transistor circuit

As explained above that the free energy change of the system before and after tunnel event
plays a key role on the occurrence of the electron tunneling, i.e., whether the tunneling event
occurs or dot. Therefore, the origin of the free energy change in SET system is important to
be reviewed. The free energy of voltage-biased single electron transistor is defined by the
difference in electrostatic energy stored in the circuit (total charging energy) and work done
by the external voltage source due to tunnel events.

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242 Numerical Simulations of Physical and Engineering Processes

3.1 Total charging energy

In order to calculate total charging energy, it is necessary to determine the voltage applied
on the tunnel capacitor ( ) and tunnel capacitor ( ) using the following step. The
configuration of the charges on each capacitor in the single-electron transistor circuit
(Figure1) can be expressed as (Tucker, 1992),

= = − , (6a)
= , (6b)
= − . (6c)
It is noted that the is also subjected to the voltage in the dot. Charge in the dot is given by,

= − − = − . (7)
Here, = − is a number of electrons in the dot.
If the equations (6a), (6b) and (6c) are inserted into an equation (7), it can be obtained the
as a function of drain voltage and gate voltage , as follows,

− − − − = ,

= + + (8)

From equation (8) and relationship of + = , it can be obtained the value of voltage on
capacitor , as follows,

= − + +

= + − − (9)

Note that both and are a function of , which is the number of electrons in the dot
because of = − .
Next, total charging energy on the SET system can be calculated as follows,

= + +

= − + + + (10)

Since the values of external power supply and is constant, the effect on electron
tunneling process only influences the term of ⁄ .

3.2 Work done by external voltage source due to tunnel event

There are two types of tunnel events, i.e., electron tunnels through the capacitor and the
electron tunnels through the capacitor . The amount of the work done by external voltage
source is different from one event to another one. Therefore, the detail explanation of the
work done for these two types is discussed. Figure 3 shows the charge flow enter/exit from
the voltage source when the electron tunnel through the capacitor (right direction).

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Master Equation - Based Numerical Simulation in a Single Electron Transistor Using Matlab 243

Fig. 3. The charge flow in the single electron transistor circuit when one electron through the
capacitor (Tucker, 1992).
Work done by the power supply when the electron tunnel through the capacitor is
formulated as follows:
1. Change in charge when one electron tunnels through capacitor ( ⟶ + )
Change of dot potential due to this electron tunneling ( ⟶ + or ⟶ + ) is
= − , thus:

= + + + − + +

= (11)

It is noted that and express the values of after and before tunneling,
respectively.
Change of charge in capacitor is + , where = − . Consider the
equation (6a) it is obtained the below relationship,

= − − − ,

=− . (12)
By inserting equation (11) into equation (12), it is obtained

=− e

Therefore, total change of the charge in capacitor is,

+ =− e+e

+
+ = (13)

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244 Numerical Simulations of Physical and Engineering Processes

Change of charge in capacitor is = − . Consider the equation (6b)

becomes,

= − ,

= ,

= e (14)

Change of charge in capacitor is = − . Consider the equation (6c)

becomes,

= − − − ,

=− ,

=− e (15)

2. Work done when one electron tunnel through capacitor ( ⟶ + )

Work done by power supply is a sum of multiplication between charge change in each
terminal and a given power supply voltage. Thus, when one electron tunnel through the
capacitor , the work becomes,

= + + + × ,

+
= − (16)

The same calculation can be done when the single electron tunnel through the capacitor ,
as shown in Figure 3.

Fig. 3. The charge flow in the single electron transistor circuit when an electron tunnels
through the capacitor .
1. Change in charge when an electron through the capacitor ( ⟶ + )
Change of potential in the dot due to electron tunneling ( ⟶ − or ⟶ − ) is
= − , thus :

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Master Equation - Based Numerical Simulation in a Single Electron Transistor Using Matlab 245

= + + − − + + ,

=− (17)

Change in charge on a capacitor is = − . Consider the equation (6a),

becomes,

= − − − ,

=− ,

= e (18)

Change in the charge on a capacitor is + , where = − . Consider

the equation (6b), becomes,

= − ,

= ,

=− e

So the total change in charge on the capacitor is,

+ =− e + e,

+
+ = (19)

Changes in the charge on a capacitor is = − . Consider equation (6c),

becomes,

= − − − ,

=− ,

= e (20)

2. Work done when one electron through the capacitor ( ⟶ + )

From the above calculation, the work done by the power supply when the electrons tunnels
through the capacitor becomes

= + + + × ,

(21)
= +

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246 Numerical Simulations of Physical and Engineering Processes

3.3 Free energy

The most important requirement for the accurence of single electron tunneling is that the total
energy of the transistor system must decrease due to one electron tunneling. In the other word,
the electron tunneling will not occur if the total energy of the system increases due to the
electron tunneling. This condition is called as Coulomb blockade. The free energy is defined by
the difference in the total charging energy and total work done by the power supply, as follows:

, = − ,

+
, = − − + + + (22)

3.4 Change in free energy due to tunnel event

Change in free energy after and before electron tunneling will determine whether the
electron tunneling occurs or not. If the system becomes more stable (energy decreases) when
the electron tunnels, electron tunneling will occur. Let's look at the conditions when the
electron tunnels through the capacitor . The free energy change after and before tunneling
can be calculated as follows:

±
∆ , = ± , − , ,

± ± +
∆ , = − ± − + +

+
− − − + +

±
∆ , = ± ∓ + ± (23)

By inserting = − into equation (23), the equation (2a) is obtained.

On the other hand, when the electron tunnels through the capacitor , the free energy
change when the after and before tunneling is calculated as follows:
±
∆ , = , ± − , ,

± ∓ +
∆ , = − − + ± +

 Q 2   CG + C 2 C  C C 
 
− − n1 e  V − G VG  + n2 e  1 V + G VG  
 2C Σ   C Σ CΣ   CΣ CΣ   

±
∆ , = ∓ ∓ ∓
(24)

By inserting Q = Ne − Q0 into equation (24), the equation (2b) is obtained.

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Master Equation - Based Numerical Simulation in a Single Electron Transistor Using Matlab 247

4. Master equation
Figure 4 shows the numerical simulation step to calculate IV curve based on Master
equation method. First, the values of the physical constants (Boltzmann constant
and elemental charge) and device parameters ( , , , and ) are defined. Then,
the external parameters ( , , and ) are given. Next, the free energy change of the
system ∆F when the electron tunnels across the tunnel capacitance, is calculated. The ∆
depends on the number of excess electrons in the dot, as expressed in equations (23)
and (24).

±
∆ , = ± − ∓ + ± (25a)

±
∆ , = ∓ − ∓ ∓ (25b)

Using the values of ∆ , single electron tunneling rates across each of two junctions is
determined. Each rate depends on both the tunneling resistance of the junction and the total
energy change of the system due to the tunneling event. On the other words, for single
electron transistor circuit simulation, each electron tunneling has to be carefully monitored.
The electron tunneling rate, which is represented by ± , can be easily obtained from the
basic golden-rule calculation (Averin & Lhikarev, 1991),
±
± −∆
= ± (26a)
− ∆ ⁄

±
± −∆
= ± (26b)
− ∆ ⁄
Next, a stochastic process in SET circuit is considered. The island charge e will change by the
tunneling of electrons from or to the island as described by the master equation.

, (27)
= + + + + − +

Here, the dc characteristics is investigated, therefore the steady state solution of equation
(27) is desired. The steady state master equation is found by setting the time derivative of
the probability distribution function equal to zero. Therefore, equation (27) becomes (Hanna
et al., 1991)

+ = + + + + . (28)
In this condition, it is necessary to calculate for all of possible charge state N. By
inserting from −∞ to ∞ into equation (28), the following equations are obtained.

−∞ −∞ + −∞ = −∞ + −∞ + + −∞ +

− − + − = +

+ = +

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248 Numerical Simulations of Physical and Engineering Processes

+ = +

+ = + + + +

∞− ∞− + ∞− = ∞ ∞ + ∞ (29)
To solve equations above, the must satisfy the standard boundary conditions, i.e.

→ , as → ±∞. (30)
Using this condition, all of the can be found. However, the here is not
normalized, so that requires the normalization as follows:

∑ = . (31a)
For this, the following transformation is need.

→
∑ (31b)

Finally, the current can be calculated by,

= ∑ − . (32a)
Here, the multiplication of the probability and the difference of rate −
describes the net current flowing through the first junction. In addition, the current may also
expressed in the terms of the rates at second junction, as follows.

= ∑ − . (33b)

5. Matlab implementation
The above equations can be easily implemented in MATLAB. As explained in previous
section, the flowchart of numerical simulation is as follows. In the first step, the following
physical constant and device parameters are defined as follows.

% Matlab program source for numerical simulation of Master equation

% in single electron transistor
% This program code is made by Dr. Ratno Nuryadi, Jakarta, Indonesia
clear all;
% Definition of Physical constant
q=1.602e-19; % electronic charge (C)
kb=1.381e-23; % Boltzman constant (J/K)
% Definition of Device parameters
c1=1.0e-20; % tunnel capacitor C1 (F)
c2=2.1e-19; % tunnel capacitor C2 (F)
cg=1.0e-18; % gate capacitor Cg (F)
ctotal=c1+c2+cg; % total capacitance (F)
mega=1000000; % definition of mega=106
r1=15*mega; % tunnel resistance R1 (Ohm)
r2=250*mega; % tunnel resistance R2 (Ohm)

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Master Equation - Based Numerical Simulation in a Single Electron Transistor Using Matlab 249

Second, the values of external parameters ( , , and ) is given. Here, the , and
are kept a constant while the is varied from Vmin to Vmax, as follows:

Vg=0; % gate voltage (V)

q0=0; % background charge q0 is assumed to be zero
temp=10; % temperature T (K)

vmin=-0.5; % drain voltage minimum Vmin (V)

vmax=0.5; % drain voltage maximum Vmax (V)
NV=1000; % number of grid from Vmin to Vmax
dV=(vmax-vmin)/NV; % drain voltage increment of each grid point
for iv=1:NV % loop start for drain voltage
V(iv)=vmin+iv*dV; % drain voltage in each grid point
% Note that loop end for drain voltage is located in the end of this
program source

Third step is calculation of ∆ , as follows:

Nmin=-20; % minimum number of N (charge number in dot)

Nmax=20; % maximum number of N (charge number in dot)
for ne=1:Nmax-Nmin % loop start for N
n=Nmin+ne; % N charge number in dot
% Calculation of ∆ in equations (25a) and (25b)
dF1p=q/ctotal*(0.5*q+(n*q-q0)-(c2+cg)*V(iv)+cg*Vg);
dF1n=q/ctotal*(0.5*q-(n*q-q0)+(c2+cg)*V(iv)-cg*Vg);
dF2p=q/ctotal*(0.5*q-(n*q-q0)-c1*V(iv)-cg*Vg);
dF2n=q/ctotal*(0.5*q+(n*q-q0)+c1*V(iv)+cg*Vg);
% Noted that loop end for N is located after calculation of

Forth, the values of ∆ are identified and then used for the calculation of . If ∆ is negative,
will be calculated by equations (26a) and (26b(. However, if the ∆ is positive, is set to
be closed to the zero (very small). Note that the value of is always positive. These
identifications are done for four conditiond of ∆ .
if dF1p<0
T1p(ne)=1/(r1*q*q)*(-dF1p)/(1-exp(dF1p/(kb*temp)));
% positive in equation (26a)
else
T1p(ne)=1e-1; % positive is assumed to be very small
end
if dF1n<0
T1n(ne)=1/(r1*q*q)*(-dF1n)/(1-exp(dF1n/(kb*temp)));
% negative in equation (26a)
else
T1n(ne)=1e-1; % negative is assumed to be very small
end
if dF2p<0
T2p(ne)=1/(r2*q*q)*(-dF2p)/(1-exp(dF2p/(kb*temp)));
% positive in equation (26b)
else
T2p(ne)=1e-1; % positive is assumed to be very small
end

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250 Numerical Simulations of Physical and Engineering Processes

if dF2n<0
T2n(ne)=1/(r2*q*q)*(-dF2n)/(1-exp(dF2n/(kb*temp)));
% negative in equation (26b)
else
T2n(ne)=1e-1; % negative is assumed to
be very small
end
end % loop end for N

Fiveth, the of equation (28) is calculated. For this, normalization of equation (31a) must
be satisfied. Here, the values of (Nmin) and (Nmax) is assumed to be 0.01.

p(1)=0.001; % ρ(Nmin) is assumed to be 0.01

p(Nmax-Nmin)=0.001; % ρ(Nmax) is assumed to be 0.01

Sixth, normalization of is done. Here, ∑ is calculated.

sum=0; % sum=0 is initial value to calculate ρ

for ne=2:Nmax-Nmin
p(ne)=p(ne-1)*(T2n(ne-1)+T1p(ne-1))/(T2p(ne)+T1n(ne));
% calculation of ρ(N) in equation (28)
% The conditions below are used to avoid divergence of Matlab
calculation
if p(ne)>1e250
p(ne)=1e250;
end
if p(ne)<1e-250
p(ne)=1e-250;
end
% ---------------------
sum=sum+p(ne);
end

for ne=2:Nmax-Nmin
p(ne)=p(ne)/sum; % Normalization in equation (31b)
end

Finally, the current is computed as follows:

sumI=0; % sumI=0 is initial condition

for current calculation
for ne=2:Nmax-Nmin
sumI=sumI+p(ne)*(T2p(ne)-T2n(ne));
end
I(iv)=q*sumI; % I in equation (32b)
end % end of drain voltage loop
plot(V,I); % plot of I vs V

for iv=1:NV-1
dIdV(iv)=(I(iv+1)-I(iv))/dV; % calculation of dIdV
end
figure;
plot(V(1,1:NV-1),dIdV); % plot of dIdV vs V

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Master Equation - Based Numerical Simulation in a Single Electron Transistor Using Matlab 251

Start

1. Definition of physical parameters

and device parameters

2. Input external parameters (V, Vg, Q0 and T).

Here, V is varied from Vmin to Vmax

3. Calculation of ΔF in eqs.
(25a) and (25b)

ΔΓ  0 No Yes Calculation of ΔΓ
4. Is ΔF negative?
in eqs. (26a) and (26b)

5. Calculation of ρ in eq. (28)

6. Normalization ρ in eq. (31b)

7. Calculation of current I in eq. (33b)

No Yes
8. Is V > Vmax? Stop

Plot a graph

Fig. 4. Flow diagram of the Matlab program used to solve Master equation.

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252 Numerical Simulations of Physical and Engineering Processes

6. Examples of simulated results

Two examples will be used to demonstrate the numerical solution of Master equation in
single electron transistor.
Example 1:
Figures 5(a) dan (b) shows current-drain voltage characteristic of the SET and its dI/dV
curve. The parameter values are C1= 1.0x10-20 F, C2= 2.1x10-19 F, CG= 1.0x10-18 F, R1= 15 MΩ
and R2=250 MΩ. The calculation was carried out for an operating temperature of 10 K, VG= 0
V and Q0= 0. As shown in Fig. 5(a), at small source-drain voltage V there is no current,
indicating the suppression of the current which is known as the Coulomb blockade. In this
region, any tunneling event would lead to an increase of the total energy and also the
tunneling rate is exponentially low. There is also evident that the I-V curve has staircase
shape, which is called as Coulomb staircases.

(a) (b)
Fig. 5. (a) The current – drain voltage characteristics for SET and (b) dI/dV curve with the
device parameters are C1= 1.0x10-20 F, C2= 2.1x10-19 F, CG= 1.0x10-18 F, R1= 15 MΩ, R2=250
MΩ and the external parameters are VG= 0 V and T=10 K.
The Coulomb staircase can be understood simply in terms of simulation model in equation
(28). Initially at drain voltage V=0, we have ρ(N=0)=1, and Γ1+(N=0)= Γ2+(N=0)=0. When
V=Vt (Vt is threshold voltage), the rates Γ1+(N=0) and Γ2+(N=0) jump sharply allowing charge
to flow through the junction capacitances, so that ρ(n=1)>0. When V=Vt+e/2C∑ there is
jump in Γ1+(N=1) producing the next another step in I-V characteristics. Such steps happen
due to each increase of V by e/2C∑. Simulation result in Fig. 5 has values of C2>C1 and
R2>R1. According to Fig. 5(b), the width of the steps is ~131 mV, which is determined by
e/2C∑.
Example 2:
The current-gate voltage characteristics of SET is plotted in Fig. 6. The parameter values are
C1= 4.2x10-19 F, C2= 1.9x10-18 F, CG= 1.3x10-18 F, R1= 150 MΩ, R2=150 MΩ, T=10 K and V= 10
mV. The program source for this I-V curve can be seen below, which is modified from the
previous source.

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Master Equation - Based Numerical Simulation in a Single Electron Transistor Using Matlab 253

V=0.01; % drain voltage (V)

q0=0; % background charge q0 is assumed to be
zero
temp=10; % temperature T (K)

vgmin=-0.4; % gate voltage minimum Vmin (V)

vgmax=0.4; % gate voltage maximum Vmax (V)
NVg=800; % number of grid from Vgmin to Vgmax
dVg=(vgmax-vgmin)/NVg; % gate voltage increment of each grid point
for iv=1:NVg % loop start for gate voltage
Vg(iv)=vgmin+iv*dVg; % drain voltage in each grid point
% Note that loop end for drain voltage is located in the end of this
program source

Nmin=-20; % minimum number of N (charge number in dot)

Nmax=20; % maximum number of N (charge number in
dot)
for ne=1:Nmax-Nmin % loop start for N
n=Nmin+ne; % N charge number in dot
% Calculation of ∆ in equations (25a) and (25b)
dF1p=q/ctotal*(0.5*q+(n*q-q0)-(c2+cg)*V+cg*Vg(iv));
dF1n=q/ctotal*(0.5*q-(n*q-q0)+(c2+cg)*V-cg*Vg(iv));
dF2p=q/ctotal*(0.5*q-(n*q-q0)-c1*V-cg*Vg(iv));
dF2n=q/ctotal*(0.5*q+(n*q-q0)+c1*V+cg*Vg(iv));
% Noted that loop end for N is located after calculation of

Fig. 6. The current – gate voltage characteristics for SET with the parameter values are C1=
4.2x10-19 F, C2= 1.9x10-18 F, CG= 1.3x10-18 F, R1= 150 MΩ, R2=150 MΩ and T=10 K.The drain
voltage is 10 mV.

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254 Numerical Simulations of Physical and Engineering Processes

Fig. 7. 3D current – voltage characteristics for the SET. The range of source-drain voltage is
from -100 mV to 100 mV and gate voltage is from -400 mV to 400 mV.
The current is a periodic function of the gate voltage VG because the tunneling of one
electron in or out of the dot is induced by the gate voltage. This periodic oscillations, which
is also known as Coulomb oscillation, is the basis of the SET operation. In order to
understand the overall of I-V characteristics, 3D plot is made as shown in Fig. 7. The
Coulomb blockade region appears at very low source-drain voltage. The Coulomb blockade
can be removed by the changing of gate voltage from inside Coulomb blockade to the
outside. Outside the Coulomb blockade region, a current can flow the between the source
and drain. At a given source-drain voltage V, the SET current can be modulated by gate
voltage Vg. By sweeping the gate voltage, the currents oscillate between zero (Coulomb
blockade) and non-zero (no Coulomb blockade), as shown in Fig. 6. The periodicity of the
current is e/Cg along the gate voltage axis. Simulation results presented here reproduce the
previous studies of the SET (Takahashi et al., 1995; Saitoh et al., 2001; Wolf et al., 2010; Sun
et al., 2011; Lee et al., 2009), indicating that the simulation technique can be used to explain
the basis of the SET.

7. Conclusion
This chapter has presented a numerical simulation of the single electron transistor using
Matlab. This simulation is based on the Master equation method and is useful for both
educational and research purposes, especially for beginners in the field of single electron
devices. Simulated results produce the staircase behavior in the current-drain voltage
characteristics and periodic oscillations in current-gate voltage characteristics. These results
reproduce the previous studies of the SET, indicating that the simulation technique achieves
good accuration. The resulting program can be also integrated into an engineering course on
numerical analysis or solid-state physics.

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