Observation of Quantum Coulomb Blockade Facilitated by P-Donor Molecules in Silicon Nano-Transistor

Abstract: Multi-donor architecture developed on the base of silicon technology holds significant potential towards room-temperature qubit and other single-electron tunneling (SET) functionalities. However, within such architecture, the overlap of multiple donor wave-functions results in a complex internal electronic configuration with discrete energy levels. Probing these discrete states, observed as multiple conductance peaks, is essential for understanding inter-donor coupling and exchange interactions towards coherent electron transfer. In this direction, we have experimentally demonstrated one-by-one electron filling within multiple-donor molecules with the fundamental analysis of clear and sustained quantum Coulomb blockade (QCB) effect. Moreover, the underlying physics of molecular orbitals, where the increasing energy leads to a larger spatial extent of the corresponding orbital, has been reflected by the systematic decrement of the respective charging-energies. The molecular energy levels, resulting from the orbital hybridization of individual donors, are also confirmed through first-principles simulations using density functional theory (DFT). Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations based on the orthodox theory of Coulomb blockade support the observed QCB characteristics.