Harnessing a few to do the work of a million: The technological challenge

Juxtaposed iso-drawn and iso-fabricated devices now exhibit noticeably different characteristics due to underlying intrinsic and extrinsic fluctuations. To overcome extrinsic fluctuations manifested by top-down device fabrication challenges, the bottom-up approach akin to growth in living organisms holds promise. However, in either approach, the intrinsic fluctuations due to the finite size of the quantities do manifest themselves. The concept of average doping, device length, width, and thickness must be replaced by point doping with dimensional and material parameter variability. Device modeling must transition from continuous to atomistic simulations. Due to the failure of the central limit theorem, second order measurements will be needed to develop statistical circuit models coupled with innovative circuit design techniques. Exceptions to this general trend exist where small dimensions result in less variability in signal amplification. Such concepts hold promise for leveraging finite dimensions of future devices.