What Does Single-Electron Transistor (SET) Mean?
A single-electron transistor (SET) is a switching device that consists of two tunnel junctions sharing a common electrode and makes use of this controlled electron tunneling for amplification of current. The technology used in single-electron transistors is based on the theory of quantum tunneling. Considered an important component of nanotechnology, single-electron transistors provide high operating speed and low power consumption.
Techopedia Explains Single-Electron Transistor (SET)
A single-electron transistor is usually made by keeping two tunnel junctions in series. The transistor consists of a source electrode and a source drain, which is joined with the help of a tunneling island that is also capacitively connected to a gate. The electrons can travel to another electrode only through the insulator. There are two categories of single-electron transistors: metallic and semiconducting. The former makes use of a metallic island, and its electrodes using a shadow mask are mostly evaporated onto an insulator. The latter, in contrast, depends on severing the two-dimensional electron gas that forms at the interface of the semiconductors for the junction.
