Proposal for a nanoscale variable resistor/electromechanical transistor

A nanoscale variable resistor consisting of a metal nanowire (active element), a dielectric, and a gate, is proposed. By means of the gate voltage, stochastic transitions between different conducting states of the nanowire can be induced, with a switching time as fast as picoseconds. With an appropriate choice of dielectric, the transconductance of the device, which may also be considered an ``electromechanical transistor,'' is shown to significantly exceed the conductance quantum G_0=2e^2/h, a remarkable figure of merit for a nanoscale device.