A ballistic transistor is a high-speed electronic switching device through which electrons flow unimpeded, without being slowed down by collisions with atoms as they are in a conventional transistor. The ballistic transistor is (as of 2004) still in the experimental stage of development.
Two main techniques have emerged for creating a ballistic MOSFET (a type of field-effect transistor). The earliest idea was to control the oxidation process by which the insulating layer in the MOSFET, between the gate and the channel, is created, resulting in a smoother surface that allows electrons to flow faster. This approach is being investigated by Lucent's Bell Labs [1]. A later, more radical, technique is to use atom-thin carbon sheets, called graphene. This has been shown to produce ballistic conduction, but the performance of the resulting transistors has not been determined. This technique is being researched in a joint effort between the University of Manchester in the UK and the Institute for Microelectronics Technology in Chernogolovka, Russia [2].