Though not terribly exciting for those of you who are not interested in the fabrication of a chip, there is nevertheless a growing problem with them: They can’t get much smaller. Despite significant advancements in lithography and etching for downsizing transistors, we’re quickly approaching a roadblock circa 2010. After 32nm, spinners of ye ol’ silicon are scratching their heads.
One potential solution, the carbon nanotube, presents a favorable outlook. But with all its promising qualities comes an equal and opposite amount of difficulty. Therein, as they say, lies the rub.
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