A Response to "Room Temperature Single-Electron Transistor Featuring Gate-Enhanced on-State Current"

The authors of the above-named work [ibid., vol. 30, no. 7, pp. 766-768, Jul. 2009] report a single-electron transistor (SET) operating at room temperature, improving upon previously published work. It is argued that while the fabrication method is a novel and promising approach to SET fabrication, the data presented do not support the assertion that Coulomb blockade (CB) has been observed or that an SET has been demonstrated. The fact that the authors are unable to attribute their findings to CB "orthodox theory" is not surprising, as other phenomena are more likely responsible. Confinement to the cryogenic temperature regime has been one of the biggest technological struggles facing the advancement and proliferation of single electronics, and claims that these significant challenges can be overcome must be carefully validated and understood.