[K6BW] Return of the vacuum tube?

[Bill Smith]

Quoted from the Antique Wireless Association newsgroup:

While this new transistor apparently exploits the speed of thermonic
emission, it's hardly a vacuum tube.

In semiconductors electron speed is limited to about 500 km (310
miles) per second, but in the vacuum they could travel at almost
the speed of light - 600 times as fast.

This new technology could be used for sensing hazardous chemicals,
noninvasive medical diagnostics, high-speed telecommunications, as
well as in extreme environment military and space applications.

http://apl.aip.org/resource/1/applab/v100/i21/p213505_s1?isAuthorized=no
A gate-insulated vacuum channel transistor was fabricated using
standard silicon semiconductor processing. Advantages of the vacuum
tube and transistor are combined here by nanofabrication. A
photoresist ashing technique enabled the nanogap separation of the
emitter and the collector, thus allowing operation at less than 10 V.
A cut-off frequency fT of 0.46 THz has been obtained. The nanoscale
vacuum tubes can provide high frequency/power output while satisfying
the metrics of lightness, cost, lifetime, and stability at harsh
conditions, and the operation voltage can be decreased comparable to
the modern semiconductor devices.

On Thu, 31 May 2012 09:02:22 -0400, Duncan Brown
<duncanancy at earthlink.net> wrote in <4FC76BDE.4090003 at earthlink.net>:

>NASA research:
>
>http://www.gizmag.com/nasa-vacuum-channel-transistor/22626/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=69fc529bb9-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email
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