Credit: Image reprinted with permission from Science
Schematic of the smallest field effect transistor ever made shows the components of the transistor. The current flowing through the atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) material, placed between the source (S) and drain (D) terminals, is controlled by the voltage applied to the 1-nanometer-thick single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), imbedded in zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) dielectric material. The atomic structure of the layers in the transmission electron microscope image on the right shows the nanotube embedded in the ZrO2 layer and resting on a silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer. The width of the nanotube is less than 1/1000th of the diameter of a red blood cell.