Observation of Coulomb staircases of both tunneling current and displacement current in nanomechanical double barrier tunneling structures

Abstract

Displacement current staircase due to Coulomb blockade is observed together with a tunneling current staircase in nanomechanical double barrier tunneling structures that consist of scanning vibrating probe/colloidal Au particles/vacuum/PtPd substrate. We discuss the motion of single electrons on and through the Au particles from both the tunneling and displacement current staircases, and demonstrate the electron shuttle phenomenon due to nanomechanical probe vibration. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.