In electronics the benefit of working on the nanoscale stems largely from being able to make things smaller. The value comes from the fact that the semiconductor industry, which we have come to expect to provide ever smaller circuits and ever more powerful computers, relies on a technology that is fundamentally limited by the wavelength of light (or other forms of electromagnetic radiation, such as X-rays). The semiconductor industry sees itself plunging towards a fundamental size barrier using existing technologies. The ability to work at levels below these wavelengths, with nanotubes or other molecular configurations, offers us a sledgehammer to break through this barrier. Ultimately, circuit elements could consist of single molecules. Nanoscale structures such as quantum dots also offer a path to making a revolutionary new type of computer, the quantum computer, with its promise of mind-boggling computing power, at least in certain types of application, if it can be converted from theory to practice.
Some of the above technologies are already generating revenue, others are attracting venture capital, in the expectation of revenue in the near future, and some are being heavily funded by government, in recognition of the considerable longer-term potential.
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