Definition of Terms and Abbreviations

   branch
A branch coincides with a circuit object and connects one node with another.

capacitance
Is the quotient of transferred charge $\Delta q$ from one conductor to another, and the change in potential difference $\Delta \varphi$ between the two conductors caused by this charge transfer. $C=\Delta q/\Delta\varphi$. (Note the difference between capacitance, self-capacitance, and total capacitance.)

charge-node
Is a node with known charge.

circuit object
Capacitors, tunnel junctions, and voltage sources; these are the building blocks of single-electron devices and circuits. It is equivalent to a branch.

CMOS
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

co-tunneling
Simultaneous tunneling of two or more electrons. It is usually a disturbing effect in single-electron devices.

Coulomb blockade
Current respectively tunneling suppression at low bias, caused by charging effects.

Coulomb gap
A shift in the current-voltage characteristic of a tunnel junction, caused by charging effects.

Coulomb oscillations
Temporal or spatial correlated current oscillations caused by charging effects.

Coulomb energy
Charging energy for an island or a quantum dot (usually with one additional electron).

DRAM
Dynamic Random Access Memory

FET
Field Effect Transistor

floating-node
Is a node with unknown potential and charge.

global rule
As opposed to the local rule, tunnel rates are calculated, taking into account the change in free energy of the whole circuit.

GUI
Graphical User Interface

island
A region, for example a piece of metal or semiconductor, that is electrically insulated to its surrounding. Charge can be transferred only through tunnel junctions.

local rule
As opposed to the global rule, tunnel rates are calculated, taking into account only the change in free energy of the junction through which the electron tunneled.

macro-node
Is a set of nodes that are linked by voltage sources.

macroscopic quantum tunneling of charge (q-MQT)
Is a synonym for co-tunneling.

MC
Monte Carlo; a statistical sampling method for the solution of mathematical problems.

ME
Master Equation; a conservation law for the temporal change of the probability distribution function of a physical quantity.
MOS
Metal Oxide Semiconductor

MTJ
Multi-Tunnel-Junction

node
The connection of two or more circuit objects. A node very often coincides with an island or a quantum dot. Nodes are the starting and ending points of branches. It is either a charge-, potential- or floating-node. See also macro-node.

potential-node
Is a node with known electrical potential.

PRN
Pseudo Random Numbers

quantum dot <>or briefly dot
A synonym to island with a connotation that the electron energy level spacing is bigger than k_B T and not quasi-continuous. In other words the energy spectrum is discrete. This is in particular the case for very small islands with a size close to or less than the Fermi wavelength $\lambda_F$. In Semiconductors $\lambda_F \sim$ 50 nm and in metals $\lambda_F \sim$ 1 nm.

self-capacitance
Is the capacitance of a conductor against infinity which is equivalent with ground. All other capacitances with other conductors are not included in this value.

SET
Single-Electron Tunneling

SIMON
SIMulation Of Nanostructures. A multipurpose single-electron device and circuit simulator.

strength parameter
Is a value that characterizes the opaqueness of a potential barrier. It is defined as $d\sqrt{\smash[b]{2m_e^*E_0}}/\hbar$, where d is the width and E₀ the height of the barrier.

total capacitance
Is the sum of all capacitances from one conductor to all other conductors plus the self-capacitance. It is measured with all other conductors grounded.