Single-Atom Transistor: A phosphorous atom [center of computer
model] sits in a channel in a silicon crystal. It acts as the smallest
transistor yet and could be key to future quantum computers. Click on the image to enlarge.
如此创新的工作是在做实验的时候偶然发现的,实际上该工作来源于1998年马里兰大学(Maryland)的物理学家Bruce Kane的预测,他提到制造固态量子计算机可以使用嵌入硅的磷原子的核自旋(nuclear spin)来实现。然后该团队就试图实现这一预测,虽然他们并没有用到原子的自旋,确在该过程中发现了晶体管的效应,Kane称这个单原子晶体管是“an experimental and engineering tour de force(杰作)”
About the Author
Saswato R. Das, a New York City–based writer, contributes frequently to IEEE Spectrum. In January 2012 he reported on a 4-atom-wide nanowire that obeys Ohm’s Law.