Devoret MH, Schoelkopf RJ
Department of Applied Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
Nature. 2000 Aug 31;406(6799):1039-46. doi: 10.1038/35023253.
Transistors have continuously reduced in size and increased in switching speed since their invention in 1947. The exponential pace of transistor evolution has led to a revolution in information acquisition, processing and communication technologies. And reigning over most digital applications is a single device structure--the field-effect transistor (FET). But as device dimensions approach the nanometre scale, quantum effects become increasingly important for device operation, and conceptually new transistor structures may need to be adopted. A notable example of such a structure is the single-electron transistor, or SET. Although it is unlikely that SETs will replace FETs in conventional electronics, they should prove useful in ultra-low-noise analog applications. Moreover, because it is not affected by the same technological limitations as the FET, the SET can approach closely the quantum limit of sensitivity. It might also be a useful read-out device for a solid-state quantum computer.
自1947年晶体管发明以来，其尺寸不断缩小，开关速度不断提高。晶体管的指数级发展速度引发了信息获取、处理和通信技术的革命。在大多数数字应用中占据主导地位的是一种单一的器件结构——场效应晶体管（FET）。但是，随着器件尺寸接近纳米尺度，量子效应对于器件运行变得越来越重要，可能需要采用概念上全新的晶体管结构。这种结构的一个显著例子就是单电子晶体管，即SET。虽然单电子晶体管不太可能在传统电子学中取代场效应晶体管，但它们在超低噪声模拟应用中应该会很有用。此外，由于单电子晶体管不受与场效应晶体管相同的技术限制，它可以非常接近灵敏度的量子极限。它也可能是固态量子计算机的一种有用的读出器件。
