Creating a transistor with a single atom

There was a time when science was the pre-occupation of lone scientists trying to unravel the mysteries of nature. Their purpose possibly had been to derive ethereal sense of pleasure by contributing in some messure towards the intellectual growth of mankind. Recent pass has brought about revolutionary change in the scientific outlook of the people, specially after realising that nature is a great source of power, and it is Science alone that can assist in placing that Power in the hands of man for promoting the human progress, prosperity and well being.

Science, and inventions are now rightly regarded as the most important means for improving the material welfare of the
people. The agency of Science as a major force of social reconstruction nowstands universally accepted. It is no wonder, therefore. that the scientific development of a country becomes the yard-stick of its progress and greatness In technology, there is a strong desire to shrink things. Consider the sheer amount of news these days surrounding nanotechnology: it is arguably one of the fastest growing sectors in technology. Recent news out of two universities on potentially groundbreaking work on single-atom transistors should not be that surprising, then. Scientists have created a transistor the size of a single atom, opening the way for the next generation of nanotechnology: a quantum computer that might one day function in a nanoscale world and would be significantly smaller and quicker than today's silicon-based machines. Until now, single-atom transistors were created on a hit-or-miss basis