Definition
Plain language
The tiny electronic switch that is the basic building block of every computer chip.
As stated in the literature
A semiconductor device that switches or amplifies electrical signals; a field-effect transistor (FET) controls current through a channel via an applied voltage. Building a working graphene FET autonomously is the headline device-fabrication task in the Qumus work.
Also called: transistors, FET, field-effect transistor
Why it matters: It is the fundamental component that makes all modern computing possible, so building one is a milestone task for automated fabrication.
For example, billions of these tiny switches packed onto a single chip are what let your phone's processor do its calculations.
Heard on the show
“A passive optical version that gets the multiplication out of physics rather than out of transistors is an interesting thing to dream about.”Episode 002 — An AI Ran a Real Optics Lab for 21 Hours and Found a Transformer-Shaped Pattern in Light