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Molecule Sized Transistors

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the little-is-better dept.

IceFoot writes "Bell Labs announced it has created organic transistors with a single-molecule channel length, more than a factor of ten smaller than anything that has been demonstrated even with the most advanced lithography techniques. The really cool part is the transistors assemble themselves: the molecules do the work of finding the electrodes and attaching themselves. Webcast on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time"

5 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. I saw the webcast by CmdrTroll · · Score: 5, Interesting
    My employer has a substantial stake in the chip business, and most of us from the Custom ASIC department huddled around a large monitor over lunch today to watch this. Their techniques are fascinating and may someday revolutionize the way we build circuits.

    However, the thing that they do not mention in the announcement is that Bell Labs continues to have problems with the chemical bonds between molecules decaying quickly on these transistors. It is similar to the problems that plague engineers of DNA processors, another cutting-edge-but-hopelessly-broken technology. In fact, despite all of these new achievements that promise to revolutionize the industry, silicon is still king and will be king for many years to come.

    -CT

  2. Re:Transistors assemble themselves? by taniwha · · Score: 2, Interesting

    nope - self assembling molecules .... it's one of the areas where the nano-tech people have been working for a while - some molecules will sidle up and stand next to a similar one they happen to run into, pretty soon you have a sheet of them (assuming you have a nice substrate) ....

  3. Shape of turn-on curve... by dpilot · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder what the shape of the turn-on curve is like?

    Modern short-channel MOSFETs are an ungainly compromise between being on and off. We can manipulate the threshold voltage, but so far we can't change the shape of the turn-on (essentially the gain) curve very well. The practical upshot is that modern transistors are perched somewhere between leaking too much DC current and not being strong enough to drive signals with the strength we need.

    At the moment, there is no such thing as low-power, high-performance deep submicron logic. It's the nature of the transistor, not the clock speed.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
  4. Re:Quantum Thingies by babymac · · Score: 2, Interesting
    You're not too far off base! Some research has been done that suggests that an infinite amount of data can be stored within the wave of a SINGLE electron! Check it out:

    http://www.eet.com/story/OEG20000831S0019

    --
    "War makes me sad." - Me
  5. In theory it's all well and good... by Rob.Mathers · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Really, when are these things ever going to be put to use. IMHO, there are two major issues that will prevent these being used in any kind of circuitboard. First, the issue of crosstalk. At the molecular level, especially with the "self-assemblage," there's no way that major crosstalk could be avoided. Secondly, what happens when one of these things breaks down? Obviously it's not going to be easy to fix, and the whole circuit board would need replacing. Don't get me wrong, this is quite cool, but it's always good to keep one foot on the ground when you're reaching for the sky.

    --

    My other sig is funny!