Nano Vacuum Tubes in Silicon

The new device is a cross between today's transistors and the vacuum tubes of yesteryear. It's small and easily manufactured, but also fast and radiation-proof. Meyyappan, who co-developed the "nano vacuum tube," says it is created by etching a tiny cavity in phosphorous-doped silicon.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/05/return-of-the-vacuum-tube.html

They claim switching up to 0.46 terahertz.

Why bother?

0.46 terahertz.

Oh I see :slight_smile:


Rob

Graynomad:
Why bother?

Because there's nothing like a single-ended triode to add some warmth to your flip-flop? :stuck_out_tongue:

Yes I've always preferred the sound of valve flip flops to those new digital ones.


Rob

I still like the mechanical calculator my grandpa found at a tag sale...

this one, or maybe a slightly different model


Can you fix a frozen computer with WD-40? No? I thought not. :slight_smile:

Great stuff. My tag line for this sort of thing (referring to the use of computers in 4x4 vehicles in the outback) is

"Can you fix the computer with a sapling and some fencing wire?"


Rob

Graynomad:
"Can you fix the computer with a sapling and some fencing wire?"

I suppose that depends upon what's wrong with it.

As for retro computing, if piles of money showed up, I'd acquire a Curta calculator.