At nanoscale dimensions the energy required to add one additional electron to a “small island” (isolated physical region)—for example, through a tunneling barrier—becomes significant. This change in energy provides the basis for devising single-electron transistors. At low temperatures, where thermal fluctuations are small, various single-electron-device nanostructures are readily achievable, and extensive research has been carried out for structures with confined electron flow. However, room-temperature applications will require that sizes be reduced significantly, to the one-nanometre range, to achieve stable operation. For large-scale application with millions of devices, as found in current integrated circuits, the need for structures with very uniform size to maintain uniform device characteristics presents a significant challenge. Also, in this and many new nanodevices being explored, the lack of gain is a serious drawback limiting implementation in large-scale electronic circuits.
Examples-from-biological-and-mechanical-realms-illustrate-various-orders-ofExamples from biological and mechanical realms illustrate various “orders of magnitude” …[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
The-structure-of-buckminsterfullereneThe structure of buckminsterfullerene (C60).[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Top-down-approaches-have-been-developed-for-building-structures-atTop-down approaches have been developed for building structures at the scale of the micrometre …[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Phospholipid-molecules-composed-of-fatty-acid-tails-and-a-phosphatePhospholipid molecules, composed of fatty acid “tails” and a phosphate …[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Coherent-X-ray-diffraction-patterns-such-as-the-one-shownCoherent X-ray diffraction patterns, such as the one shown here of a nanosized metal cube, can be …[Credits : Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd.; Nature, July 6, 2006, vol. 442, …]
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