Nanoscientists suggest use of vacuums to overcome limits of conventional silicon-based semiconductor electronics
Sunday, July 1, 2012 - 12:30
in Physics & Chemistry
With the advent of semiconductor transistorsinvented in 1947 as a replacement for bulky and inefficient vacuum tubeshas come the consistent demand for faster, more energy-efficient technologies. To fill this need, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are proposing a new spin on an old method: a switch from the use of silicon electronics back to vacuums as a medium for electron transportexhibiting a significant paradigm shift in electronics. Their findings were published online in Nature Nanotechnology July 1.