Fabrication of two-dimensionally arrayed quantum device

• US 6,121,075 A
• Filed: 01/11/1999
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowers, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHRISTIANSON, KEITH ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/228,276
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 438/99, 438/142, 438/149, 438/186, 438/800, 438/939, 438/962, 117/70
• US Class Current: 438/149
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/202 Langmuir Blodgett films (LB films)
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2216/08 Nonvolatile memory wherein data storage is accomplished by storing relatively few electrons in the storage layer, i.e. single electron memory
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2254 from or through or into an applied layer, e.g. photoresist, nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3081 characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks, materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3086 characterised by the process involved to create the mask, e.g. lift-off masks, sidewalls, or to modify the mask, e.g. pre-treatment, post-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76838 characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the conductors etching for patterning the conductors H01L21/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/8222 Bipolar technology
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/156 two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66136 PN junction diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7613 Single electron transistors; Coulomb blockade devices H01L29/7888 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/18 within the light emitting region
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 99/05 Devices based on quantum mechanical effects, e.g. quantum interference devices or metal single-electron transistors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/939 Langmuir-blodgett film utilization
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/945 Special, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/947 : Subphotolithographic processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/962 : Quantum dots and lines

Abstract

A quantum device is constituted from a two-dimensional array of quantum dots formed from metal atom aggregates contained in metalloprotein complex. The metalloprotein is arranged on the surface of a substrate having an insulation layer with a pitch of the size of the metalloprotein complex. The diameter of the metal atom aggregates used in the quantum device is 7 nm or smaller, and the pitch of the metalloprotein complex is preferably from 11 to 14 nm.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating single-electron transistor comprising quantum dots formed from microscopic metal particles of which transition level nearest to the Fermi level is higher than the thermal excitation level of electron at room temperature, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) adsorbing a metalloprotein complex onto an LB membrane developed on a surface of an aqueous solution;

(b) placing said LB membrane having said metalloprotein complex adsorbed thereon on a substrate which is durable to temperatures beyond the burn-out temperature of said protein and having an insulation layer at least on the surface thereof;

(c) burning out said protein through heat treatment in an inert gas that does not react with said substrate; and

(d) reducing said metalloprotein complex thereby to obtain metal atom aggregates; and

(e) irradiating said metal atom aggregates with electron beam of a scanning electron microscope, of which beam width is set to be not greater than said pitch, in vacuum in the presence of a trace of carbon compound, while scanning said electron beam to have carbon vapor-deposited between said metal atom aggregates thereby forming lead wires.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of adsorbing ferritin as said metalloprotein complex onto an LB membrane developed on the surface of an aqueous solution.