SIMON – A simulator for single-electron tunnel devices and circuits

Abstract—SIMON is a single-electron tunnel device and circuit simulator that is based on a Monte Carlo method. It allows transient and stationary simulation of arbitrary circuits consist-ing of tunnel junctions, capacitors, and voltage sources of three kinds: constant, piecewise linearly time dependent, and voltage controlled. Cotunneling can be simulated either with a plain Monte Carlo method or with a combination of the Monte Carlo and master equation approach. A graphic user interface allows the quick and easy design of circuits with single-electron tunnel devices. Furthermore, as an example of the usage of SIMON, we discuss the essential problem of random background charge and present possible solutions. Index Terms—Cotunneling, Coulomb blockade, master equa-tion, Monte Carlo technique, random background charge, single electron, tunneling