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Storing A Single Electron?



                  Ever since the Bell Labs invention of the transistor, semiconductor magicians have been shrinking the transistor switch. Perhaps the ultimate incredible disappearing act will be the so-called single-electron transistor (SET) device that stores a bit of information as the presence or absence of a single electron, or small group of electrons, marooned on a quantum island in the middle of the device channel. Such SETs have been demonstrated recently by industry and academic researchers, both in the US and in Japan. While these demonstrations are impressive, the necessity to produce billions of SETs on a single piece of silicon raises hard-nosed questions of control, manufacturing yields, and ultimately cost.
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Basic Biography
Integration Limits
Business Case
Implications