Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their collaborators have observed how the energy of a single electron in a semiconductor material can be precisely controlled by adjusting the positions of nearby atoms. This discovery could lead to new ways to create quantum devices, such as transistors, that operate at very low power levels and are more resistant to noise.

In traditional semiconductor devices, the flow of electrons is controlled by applying an electric field. However, this approach is limited by the fact that electrons are also affected by the thermal motion of the atoms in the material. This can cause the devices to become noisy and inefficient, especially at high temperatures.

The NIST team's approach avoids this problem by using a different way to control the flow of electrons. Instead of applying an electric field, they use a technique called "quantum confinement" to create a tiny, isolated region of semiconductor material in which the electrons are free to move. This region is surrounded by a layer of atoms that act as a barrier, preventing the electrons from escaping.

By carefully controlling the positions of the atoms in the barrier layer, the researchers were able to precisely tune the energy of the single electron in the confined region. This allowed them to create a device that acts as a transistor, but without the need for an electric field.

The NIST team's discovery could lead to a new generation of quantum devices that are more powerful and efficient than traditional semiconductor devices. These devices could be used in a variety of applications, such as quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and quantum sensing.

The research team's findings were published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.