Quantum engineering entails atom-by-atom design and fabrication of electronic devices. This innovative technology that unifies materials science and device engineering has been fostered by the recent progress in the fabrication of vertical and lateral heterostructures of two-dimensional materials and by the assessment of the technology potential via computational nanotechnology. But how close are we to the possibility of the practical realization of next-generation atomically thin transistors? In this Perspective, we analyse the outlook and the challenges of quantum-engineered transistors using heterostructures of two-dimensional materials against the benchmark of silicon technology and its foreseeable evolution in terms of potential performance and manufacturability. Transistors based on lateral heterostructures emerge as the most promising option from a performance point of view, even if heterostructure formation and control are in the initial technology development stage.

量子工程需要电子设备的逐个原子设计和制造。通过在二维材料的垂直和横向异质结构的制造中的最新进展以及通过计算纳米技术对技术潜力的评估，已经促进了将材料科学与设备工程相结合的创新技术。但是，我们距离实际实现下一代原子薄晶体管的可能性有多近？在此透视图中，我们根据硅技术的基准及其潜在性能和可制造性的可预见发展，分析了使用二维材料异质结构的量子工程晶体管的前景和面临的挑战。