The first computer to use a quantum dot transistor was released in 1998.
This description details the release of the first computer to use a quantum dot transistor. The computer was released in 1998 and marked a major milestone in the development of computer technology. Quantum dot transistors are semiconductor devices that are smaller than traditional transistors, allowing for faster and more efficient computing.
Quantum dots (QDs) or semiconductor nanocrystals are semiconductor particles a few nanometres in size with optical and electronic properties that differ from those of larger particles via quantum mechanical effects. They are a central topic in nanotechnology and materials science. When a quantum dot is illuminated by UV light, an electron in the quantum dot can be excited to a state of higher energy. In the case of a semiconducting quantum dot, this process corresponds to the transition of an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. The excited electron can drop back into the valence band releasing its energy as light. This light emission (photoluminescence) is illustrated in the figure on the right. The color of that light depends on the energy difference between the discrete energy levels of the quantum dot in the conduction band and the valence band.