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A '''single-atom transistor''' is a device that can open and close an electrical circuit by the controlled and reversible repositioning of one single atom. The single-atom transistor was invented and first demonstrated in 2004 by Prof. Thomas Schimmel and his team of scientists at the [[Karlsruhe Institute of Technology]] (former University of Karlsruhe).<ref>{{cite journal | last=Xie | first=F.-Q. | last2=Nittler | first2=L. | last3=Obermair | first3=Ch. | last4=Schimmel | first4=Th. | title=Gate-Controlled Atomic Quantum Switch | journal=Physical Review Letters | publisher=American Physical Society (APS) | volume=93 | issue=12 | date=2004-09-15 | issn=0031-9007 | doi=10.1103/physrevlett.93.128303 | page=128303}}</ref> By means of a small electrical voltage applied to a control electrode, the so-called ''gate electrode'', a single silver atom is reversibly moved in and out of a tiny junction, in this way closing and opening an electrical contact.
Therefore, the single-atom transistor works as an atomic switch or atomic relay, where the switchable atom opens and closes the gap between two tiny electrodes called ''source'' and ''drain''.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Xie | first=Fang-Qing | last2=Obermair | first2=Christian | last3=Schimmel | first3=Thomas | title=Switching an electrical current with atoms: the reproducible operation of a multi-atom relay | journal=Solid State Communications | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=132 | issue=7 | year=2004 | issn=0038-1098 | doi=10.1016/j.ssc.2004.08.024 | pages=437–442}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Xie | first=F.-Q. | last2=Maul | first2=R. | last3=Augenstein | first3=A. | last4=Obermair | first4=Ch. | last5=Starikov | first5=E. B. | last6=Schön | first6=G. | last7=Schimmel | first7=Th. | last8=Wenzel | first8=W. |display-authors=5| title=Independently Switchable Atomic Quantum Transistors by Reversible Contact Reconstruction | journal=Nano Letters | publisher=American Chemical Society (ACS) | volume=8 | issue=12 | date=2008-12-10 | issn=1530-6984 | doi=10.1021/nl802438c | pages=4493–4497| arxiv=0904.0904 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Obermair | first=Ch. | last2=Xie | first2=F.-Q. | last3=Schimmel | first3=Th. | title=The Single-Atom Transistor: perspectives for quantum electronics on the atomic-scale | journal=Europhysics News | publisher=EDP Sciences | volume=41 | issue=4 | year=2010 | issn=0531-7479 | doi=10.1051/epn/2010403 | pages=25–28| doi-access=free }}</ref> The single-atom transistor opens perspectives for the development of future atomic-scale logics and quantum electronics.
At the same time, the device of the Karlsruhe team of researchers marks the lower limit of miniaturization, as feature sizes smaller than one atom cannot be produced lithographically. The device represents a quantum transistor, the conductance of the source-drain channel being defined by the rules of quantum mechanics. It can be operated at room temperature and at ambient conditions, i.e. neither cooling nor vacuum are required.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Xie | first=Fangqing | last2=Maul | first2=Robert | last3=Obermair | first3=Christian | last4=Wenzel | first4=Wolfgang | last5=Schön | first5=Gerd | last6=Schimmel | first6=Thomas | title=Multilevel Atomic-Scale Transistors Based on Metallic Quantum Point Contacts | journal=Advanced Materials | publisher=Wiley | volume=22 | issue=18 | date=2010-02-01 | issn=0935-9648 | doi=10.1002/adma.200902953 | pages=2033–2036}}</ref>
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