这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。
It seems that electronic devices just keep getting smaller. Scientists in the United States have announced the creation of the first transistor with only two dimensions.
看来电子器件只会变得越来越小。美国科学家宣布创建了首个二维晶体管。
A transistor is a small electronic device that transfers or carries electronic current. The device helps to create an electrical circuit that provides power to other devices. Scientists hope these new 2D transistors will be used for building high-resolution displays that need very little energy.
晶体管是传输电流的小型电子设备。该设备帮助创造一个电路为其它设备提供电源。科学家希望这些新型2D晶体管能被用于开发耗能极少的高解析度显示器。
Two groups of scientists created these 2D transistors. One group is at the Argonne National Laboratory outside of Chicago, the other group is at the University of California. They report that the transistors are only a few atoms thick, any layer of any material that thin may be considered two-dimensional.
两组科学家创建了这些2D晶体管。其中一组在芝加哥郊外的阿贡国家实验室，另一组在加州大学。他们报告说，这种晶体管只有只有几个原子厚，任何材料的任何一层极薄都可以被认定为二维。
Usually transistors are made with the element silicon. But the scientists say they use materials that have even better electronic properties. Computer processors, memory chips, TV screens and other electronic devices contain billions of silicon-based transistors. But these very small electrical parts have certain limitations.
通常晶体管由硅元素制成。但科学家表示，他们使用了具有更好电学性能的材料。计算机处理器，存储芯片，电视屏幕和其它电子装置包含了数十亿个硅基晶体管。但这些极小的电气部件都有一定的局限性。
Dimitris Ioannou is an electrical engineering professor at George Mason University. He says the traditional transistor has been improved as much as it can be. He adds that researchers have been looking for new materials with special features. He says researchers want transistors to be see through and soft.
伊奥努（Dimitris Ioannou)是乔治·梅森大学的一位电气工程教授。他说传统晶体管已经耗尽其潜能。他补充说，研究人员一直在寻找具有特殊功能的新材料。他说，研究人员希望晶体管能够透明、柔软。
"If the layers are very thin the transistor can become flexible, so it doesn't have to be rigid, like it would be in a silicon chip. So people can think of applications like wearable electronics, like, you know, television screens and other things," said Ioannou.
伊奥努说，“如果各层非常薄，晶体管就能变得更灵活。它不一定要像它在硅芯片上那样是刚性的。人们能想象到的应用包括可穿戴电子产品，电视屏幕等等。”
These new transistors can also carry higher current. They also can move the current much faster than traditional transistors. This is important for high-definition screens.
这种新型晶体管可以传输更高的电流。与传统晶体管相比，它们的传输速度也更快。这对高清晰屏幕来说非常重要。
Dimitris Ioannou says the scientific success could prove very useful in the future.
伊奥努表示，这一科学成就在未来将被证明非常有用。
"This is the first time every layer is a single [atom] layer, more or less, and that's the novelty of it. Now, how good and how useful it will be, it's still in research phase, but it certainly is an advance," said Ioannou.
伊奥努说，“这是第一次每层都是单个原子层左右，这就是它的新颖。现在来说，它未来的优点和用途仍处于研究阶段，但它肯定是一大进步。”
Scientists say there is no good method for printing a large number of these new transistors on one base material, but they believe that someday it may be possible.
科学家说，目前尚没有什么好办法基于一种基础材料打印大量这种新型晶体管，但他们认为某天终可实现这点。
And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. For more technology stories, go to our website 51voa.com. Give us a like on the VOA Learning English Facebook page. Follow us on twitter at VOA Learning English. You can also watch vedios on the VOA YouTube Channel. I'm Jonathan Evans.
以上就是本期美国之音慢速英语科技报道的全部内容，我是乔纳森·埃文斯（Jonathan Evans）。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)