Vacuum Transistors operate at over 400GHz !

Heater.

NASA guys have been exploring making tiny vacuum tubes with silicon chip technology. The first such device operated at up to 450GHz!

Sadly no heaters are required:(

http://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/devices/introducing-the-vacuum-transistor-a-device-made-of-nothing

Tor

I had just finished reading that article as well - very readable and well-written.

-Tor

Cluso99

Very interesting indeed. Even if they ended up being larger than equivalent ICs, 460GHz would make some nice suppercomputers.

Sorry heater, you days are definately numbered

kwinn

Cluso99 wrote: »

Very interesting indeed. Even if they ended up being larger than equivalent ICs, 460GHz would make some nice suppercomputers.

Sorry heater, you days are definately numbered

Could even make some great breakfastcomputers or even lunchcomputers ;-)


Sorry, just couldn't resist.

Lawson

It's unlikely that actual logic circuits made from the vacuum transistors wold operate at 460GHz. 46GHz is a much more realistic target. That said, I'd expect these transistors to have better potential for very high temperature/radiation operation. I expect they'll find a niche there first.

Marty

Heater.

Yes, building a 400GHz computer or other logic seems far off. Given that the wavelength there is about a millimeter it could make board layout tricky!

Seems they are looking toward building sensors for that 1mm band though.

The requirement for helium gets me "...we’ll have to devise proper packaging methods for these 1-atmosphere, helium-filled devices."

It's my understanding that helium is very good at escaping through the gaps between the molecules of the walls of whatever is containing it. That's why helium balloons deflate and my old helium-neon laser tube does not work any more.