Charge solitons in 1-D array of mesoscopic tunnel junctions

We study the dynamics of a one-dimensional array of mesoscopic normal tunnel junctions using the semiclassical picture. We show that the charging effect on a single electron tunneling through a single junction together with capacitive coupling to a substrate lead to the existence of soliton-like modes of charge transfer along the array. These modes are manifested by the appearance of clear Coulomb steps in the current-voltage characteristics (for a range of junction parameters) which can be directly verified experimentally.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27635/1/0000011.pd