Correlated Single-Electron Tunneling via Ultrasmall Metal Particle

Abstract

The existing theory of correlated single-electron tunneling in a double normal-metal tunnel junction is extended to the case of an ultrasmall central electrode in the structure, when the energy spectrum discreteness of this electrode becomes essential. It is shown that in such a system periodic modulation of the dc I–V curve, which is associated with Coulomb correlations, can be partially suppressed due to the non-equilibrium electron energy distribution on this electrode. For realistic values of the energy relaxation rate, however, such suppression is small, and the large-scale shape of the dc I–V curve can be calculated from the earlier theory, neglecting energy spectrum discreteness.