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  • On-Demand Coherent Single-E...
    Fève, G; Mahé, A; Berroir, J.-M; Kontos, T; Plaçais, B; Glattli, D.C; Cavanna, A; Etienne, B; Jin, Y

    Science, 05/2007, Volume: 316, Issue: 5828
    Journal Article

    We report on the electron analog of the single-photon gun. On-demand single-electron injection in a quantum conductor was obtained using a quantum dot connected to the conductor via a tunnel barrier. Electron emission was triggered by the application of a potential step that compensated for the dot-charging energy. Depending on the barrier transparency, the quantum emission time ranged from 0.1 to 10 nanoseconds. The single-electron source should prove useful for the use of quantum bits in ballistic conductors. Additionally, periodic sequences of single-electron emission and absorption generate a quantized alternating current.