Steps towards a capacitance standard based on single-electron counting at PTB

Abstract

A capacitance standard based on the definition of capacitance C = Ne/U is realized when a capacitor is charged with a known number N of electrons (e is the elementary charge) and the voltage U across the capacitor is measured. If U is measured by means of a Josephson voltage standard, C is solely determined by quantum numbers and fundamental constants. Presently, PTB is setting up this experiment using a special type of single-electron pump, the so-called r-pump, for transferring electrons one by one onto a cryogenic vacuum capacitor with the decadic capacitance C = 1 pF. We report on the progress in the setup with emphasis on the characterization of the single-electron tunneling elements. We describe the modifications of the single-electron circuit that are necessary to implement the capacitor charging experiment by using a four- or five-junction r-pump.