Ballistic transistor
Encyclopedia
Ballistic deflection transistors are electronic devices being developed for high-speed integrated circuit
s. Instead of switching the flow of several electron
s using gate
s, as it is done in field-effect transistor
s, they try to manipulate the course of single electrons using electromagnetic force
s. These free flowing electrons are forced around a wedge-shaped obstacle in one direction or another, corresponding to a logical '1' or '0'
. The initial movement of the electron
is directed by an electric field. Electrons proceed in their course by deflection
. Ballistic transistor focuses on bouncing of individual electrons of the deflector. It is made by 2D electron gas which is a thin sheet of semiconductor material.
, lower power requirements and higher speeds (up to the terahertz
region). A research prototype
has been created, which is still conceptual at the moment. This is a technique currently being investigated by the University of Rochester
.
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s. Instead of switching the flow of several electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
s using gate
Logic gate
A logic gate is an idealized or physical device implementing a Boolean function, that is, it performs a logical operation on one or more logic inputs and produces a single logic output. Depending on the context, the term may refer to an ideal logic gate, one that has for instance zero rise time and...
s, as it is done in field-effect transistor
Field-effect transistor
The field-effect transistor is a transistor that relies on an electric field to control the shape and hence the conductivity of a channel of one type of charge carrier in a semiconductor material. FETs are sometimes called unipolar transistors to contrast their single-carrier-type operation with...
s, they try to manipulate the course of single electrons using electromagnetic force
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
s. These free flowing electrons are forced around a wedge-shaped obstacle in one direction or another, corresponding to a logical '1' or '0'
Binary numeral system
The binary numeral system, or base-2 number system, represents numeric values using two symbols, 0 and 1. More specifically, the usual base-2 system is a positional notation with a radix of 2...
. The initial movement of the electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
is directed by an electric field. Electrons proceed in their course by deflection
Deflection
Deflection or deflexion may refer to:* Deflection , the displacement of a structural element under load* Deflection , a technique of shooting ahead of a moving target so that the target and projectile will collide...
. Ballistic transistor focuses on bouncing of individual electrons of the deflector. It is made by 2D electron gas which is a thin sheet of semiconductor material.
Advantages
The advantages are a smaller size, reduced noiseNoise (electronics)
Electronic noise is a random fluctuation in an electrical signal, a characteristic of all electronic circuits. Noise generated by electronic devices varies greatly, as it can be produced by several different effects...
, lower power requirements and higher speeds (up to the terahertz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
region). A research prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
has been created, which is still conceptual at the moment. This is a technique currently being investigated by the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
.