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，晶体管的尺寸不断缩小，信号处理能力不断提高。这一趋势，众所周知的“摩尔定律”，主要是因为我们能够“缩小”传统的金属氧化物半导体(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级，以及对尺寸的基本限制接近，工业界和大学在电子设备方面的研究已转向研究替代方案。正在考虑增加甚至取代硅晶体管的新候选包括由碳纳米管和碳纳米带制成的晶体管，使用化合物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.