Ternary single electron tunneling phase logic element

An analysis of a ternary single electron tunneling phase logic element is presented. The analysis is based on Monte Carlo simulations and an analytical treatment of a resistively loaded tunneling junction at low temperatures. We show that tristable operation can be obtained over a 19% dc bias operating range by optimizing the pump frequency and amplitude. For large ac frequencies, our optimizations also show that simple linear relationships exist between the optimal parameters ~the optimal dc bias and pump amplitude! and frequency. Finally, we show that the ternary phase state of a clocked element can be controlled by an input signal provided that the clock turn-on is not too abrupt. The results should be of use in the design of ternary and other multilevel tunneling phase logic families. © 1999 American Institute of Physics. @S0003-6951~99!03826-7#