This micrograph shows a mock field-effect transistor with a layer of crystalline strontium titanate instead of silicon dioxide as the gate electrode. The layer was grown in registry with the silicon template making up the transistor's base.
ORNL tests show that the transistor works.
A barrier to future increases in computing power is a restriction set by a compound of silicon itself. As transistors are downsized, the use of silicon dioxide to control electron flow will limit transistor performance. They demonstrated that amorphous silicon dioxide conventionally used on silicon chips can be replaced with a crystalline oxide whose superior electrical properties will allow reduction in transistor size without loss of performance. A FET is a common switching device used in modern electronic equipment. This tiny semiconducting device consists of three metal electrodes and a silicon base.