Sensing Few Electrons Floating on Helium with High-Electron-Mobility Transistors

  • M. M. Feldman
  • , G. Fuchs
  • , T. Liu
  • , L. A. D’Imperio
  • , M. D. Henry
  • , E. A. Shaner
  • , S. A. Lyon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We report on low-frequency measurements of few electrons floating on superfluid helium using a bespoke cryogenic cascode amplifier circuit built with off-the-shelf GaAs high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). We integrate this circuit with a charge-coupled device (CCD) to transport the electrons on helium and characterize its performance. We show that this circuit has a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ∼ 2eHz at 102 kHz, an order of magnitude improvement from previous implementations, and provides a compelling alternative to few electron sensing with high-frequency resonators.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)242-251
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Low Temperature Physics
Volume219
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2025
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics

Keywords

  • Charge-Coupled Devices
  • Electrons on Helium
  • High-Electron-Mobility Transistors
  • Single-Electron Sensing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Sensing Few Electrons Floating on Helium with High-Electron-Mobility Transistors'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this