Scientists have created a

Scientists have created a single-atom transistor. Such devices will create a new generation of computers with an unprecedented high memory capacity and power. This is stated in a study by scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), whose work is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

Researchers were able to create devices the size of one atom, and then produce a series of single-electron transistors with atomic control of the scale of the geometry of the device.

In their study, scientists have shown that they can precisely control the speed at which individual electrons flow through a physical gap or electrical barrier in a transistor - even if classical physics forbids electrons to do this because they lack energy. This strictly quantum phenomenon, known as quantum tunneling, becomes possible only when the gaps are extremely small - for example, in miniature transistors.

Electron velocity control is a key property of miniature transistors, since it affects their ability to create quantum entanglement.

For the manufacture of monatomic transistors, scientists used a technique in which a silicon chip is coated with a layer of hydrogen atoms that easily bind to silicon. Using the thin tip of a scanning tunneling microscope, the researchers then removed hydrogen atoms at selected sites. The remaining hydrogen acted as a barrier.