Scientists at the University of Rochester have come up with a new “ballistic computing” chip design that could lead to 3-terahertz processors that produce very little heat.

The Ballistic Deflection Transistor (BDT) bounces the electrons into their chosen trajectories. Using inertia, it functions more as an intersection for electrons than as a device that expends energy to stop and start them. Because of this approach, far less power is required.

The BDT relies on a layer of a semiconductor material called a “2D electron gas,” which facilitates the transit of electrons without the interference of impurities.