ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Beyond CMOS

Okay, kiddo, let me explain "Beyond CMOS" to you. You know what a computer is, right? It's a machine that helps us do things easily and quickly. And inside every computer, there is a tiny little part called a chip, or a microprocessor, that helps it work.

Now, the CMOS chip is the most common type of microprocessor used in computers today. But scientists and engineers are always working on new and better ways to make these chips so that computers can be even faster, smaller, and more efficient.

That's where "Beyond CMOS" comes in. It refers to all the new technologies and ideas that people are exploring to create better microprocessors. Some of these are called "nanoelectronics," which means they are even tinier than the CMOS chips we use today.

There are lots of different ways scientists and engineers are trying to create these nanoelectronics, like using new materials that conduct electricity better than the silicon used in CMOS chips. They might even use tiny molecules or particles to build these new microprocessors.

Some other ideas people are exploring include spintronics, which uses the spin of electrons to store and process information, and quantum computing, which uses the bizarre properties of tiny particles like photons and electrons to do complex computations.

So, in short, "Beyond CMOS" is all about finding new and better ways to make the tiny chips that run our computers. There are lots of exciting ideas out there, and who knows what our future computers will look like!