Electron Y-branch switches

An electron Y-branch switch (YBS) consists of a narrow stem (source) which splits along a branching section into two branches (drains). In this paper, we describe the logic operation of a cascaded YBS with switching lengths in the order of 100 nm and smaller. By means of electron beam lithography, we have fabricated a YBS in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. Presented is an overview of the functionality of YBSs exploited as nanoelectronic amplifiers, rectifiers and logic gates. We describe the transfer characteristics of two cascaded YBSs and demonstrated logic AND/NAND gate operation with a bistable output.