Understanding nanoscale elecctronic devices for future technologies

在过去的40年里，硅晶体管技术推动了电子行业的发展，晶体管尺寸不断减小，信号处理能力不断提高。 这一趋势被称为“摩尔定律”，主要是由于我们能够“缩小”传统金属氧化物半导体（MOS）晶体管的尺寸。 然而，随着传统晶体管的关键尺寸进入纳米范围，以及接近缩放的基本限制，电子设备的工业和大学研究已经转向研究替代品。 正在考虑增加甚至取代硅晶体管的新候选者包括由碳纳米管和碳纳米带制成的晶体管，利用化合物III-V半导体的晶体管，以及利用电子自旋特性的晶体管。

For the past 40 years, silicon transistor technology has driven the electronics industry, with continually decreasing transistor size and continally increasing signal-processing power. This trend, well-known as "Moore's law," has primarily been enabled by our ability to "scale down" the size of the conventional metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor. However, as the critical dimensions of conventional transistors move into the nanometer regime, and as fundamental limits on scaling are approached, industry and university research in electronic devices has shifted to examining alternatives. New candidates being considered to augment or even replace silicon transistors include those made from carbon nanotubes and carbon nanoribbons, those utilizing compound III-V semiconductors, and those exploiting the property of electronic spin.