Microelectronic devices based on quantum dots are looking more feasible.
Researchers in the US and Germany have shown that, when stimulated with
microwave radiation, the electrons in two nearby quantum
dots—nanometre-sized cages that trap a small number of
electrons—oscillate between energy states like the electrons in diatomic
molecules, which are many times smaller (Physical Review Letters, vol
81, p 689). Devices built from arrays of quantum dots could use these
oscillations as a means of storing data.
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