Hewlett-Packard researchers have created a molecular-scale alternative to the transistor. The device could increase the viability of a new generation of ultrasmall electronics.

They have designed a nanoscale “crossbar latch,” a wire that is crossed by two other wires. The resulting junctions serve as switches that are only a few atoms across and can be programmed by a repeatable set of electrical pulses. Standard electronic devices require larger conventional transistors to perform the same operation.