The microprocessors on this wafer of silicon have transistors measuring in the nanometres. Shutterstock December 16, 2015 Electronics are getting small, and that is causing big problems Agustin Schiffrin, Monash University; Katherine Cochrane, University of British Columbia, and Sarah A. Burke, University of British Columbia As the components in electronic devices are shrinking to the nanoscale, even a single atom out of place can disrupt their function. But this also presents an opportunity to make them even better.