VLSI Device Trends and Limitations

Since the beginning of the integrated-circuit (IC) era in 1958, the minimum feature size for commercial ICs has been reduced at an annual rate of about 13%. At this rate, the minimum feature size will shrink to 0.5 micron in early 1990s and to 0.1 micron around year 2000. Assuming that the advanced technology required to fabricate 0.1 micron or even smaller devices can be developed, what are the limitations of device miniaturization based on physical laws?