While the smallest chunk of silicon we could lay down would be one atom of it, there are things far smaller.
I'm confident we'll go down to the atomic level, but Silicon may have nothing to do with it. When we go down to the level of individual atoms, everything we know about Silicon will become irrelevant. In fact, even a 10nm x 10nm x 10nm block of Silicon would have a hard time performing the way we want it (yet we can already create 10nm features using STM lithography.. albiet not yet mass-produceably).
Right now, a particular patch of transistor is exists as "p type" or "n type" because it is doped with a very small amount of impurities (from 1 impurity per 1000 Si atoms (very strongly doped, ~10^19/cm^3) to 1 impurity per 1000 000 000 atoms (very lightly doped, ~10^13/cm^3)). Now, imagine what would happen if you had a feature that only contained 10 000 atoms (10nm x 10nm x 10nm). To be "very strongly doped," this patch of Silicon would have to have EXACTLY ONE impurity ion in it to behave as "strongly doped." One more or one less impurity ion would drastically change its properties. In fact, with a 1000 atom feature, you CANNOT "lightly dope it." To dope it with one atom is to already dope strongly (~10^18/cm^3). This means you would have an EXTREMELY hard time creating a traditional transistor (with 3 differently doped zones with 10nm features.
To put things in perspective, typical numbers for impurity concentrations range from 10^15/cm^3 to 10^18/cm^3. Also, I am assuming the density of Si is ~10^22/cm^-3 off the top of my head. Maybe it's ~10^23, correct me if I'm wrong.
It is human nature to assume that one's own beliefs are morally superior and "more correct" than others', so I accept that half of you will reject my opinions as just another morally misguided idiot's ranting. You had the choice to choose between the health of your friend and the health of a retail store. I, personally, would hold the saftey of an individual human (i.e., staying out of jail, staying alive, etc.) over the safety of a corporation (i.e., maintaining a profitable business) any day.
Your friend will not improve because of your actions. He will only learn to become more cynical and cautious towards other people. Next time, he'll know to keep his mouth shut. If you wanted to change his behavior, the more effective route would have been to explain your views to him in a rational manner.
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Right now, a particular patch of transistor is exists as "p type" or "n type" because it is doped with a very small amount of impurities (from 1 impurity per 1000 Si atoms (very strongly doped, ~10^19/cm^3) to 1 impurity per 1000 000 000 atoms (very lightly doped, ~10^13/cm^3)). Now, imagine what would happen if you had a feature that only contained 10 000 atoms (10nm x 10nm x 10nm). To be "very strongly doped," this patch of Silicon would have to have EXACTLY ONE impurity ion in it to behave as "strongly doped." One more or one less impurity ion would drastically change its properties. In fact, with a 1000 atom feature, you CANNOT "lightly dope it." To dope it with one atom is to already dope strongly (~10^18/cm^3). This means you would have an EXTREMELY hard time creating a traditional transistor (with 3 differently doped zones with 10nm features.
To put things in perspective, typical numbers for impurity concentrations range from 10^15/cm^3 to 10^18/cm^3. Also, I am assuming the density of Si is ~10^22/cm^-3 off the top of my head. Maybe it's ~10^23, correct me if I'm wrong.
It is human nature to assume that one's own beliefs are morally superior and "more correct" than others', so I accept that half of you will reject my opinions as just another morally misguided idiot's ranting. You had the choice to choose between the health of your friend and the health of a retail store. I, personally, would hold the saftey of an individual human (i.e., staying out of jail, staying alive, etc.) over the safety of a corporation (i.e., maintaining a profitable business) any day. Your friend will not improve because of your actions. He will only learn to become more cynical and cautious towards other people. Next time, he'll know to keep his mouth shut. If you wanted to change his behavior, the more effective route would have been to explain your views to him in a rational manner.