transistor

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Transistors May Migrate to Paper
Transistors
May Migrate
to Paper

Transistors May Migrate to Paper

Circuit-carrying cellulose undercuts silicon on price

(Newser) - The future of electronics may be etched on paper, reports the Economist. Researchers have found a cheaper, easier way to make transistors using cellulose, paper’s key ingredient. Paper could soon replace silicon as a surface on which to mount transistors, which control the flow of electric currents and power...

World's Smallest Transistor Sets Path to Better Chips

Newfound material could replace silicon

(Newser) - Scientists in England have created the world’s smallest transistor, the BBC reports. At 1 atom thick and 10 atoms wide, it could be the key to creating microchips beyond the power of silicon. The transistor is made of graphene, a single layer of graphite and an excellent conductor of...

Etch-A-Sketch Newest Chip Design Tool

Nano-sized wires can be drawn, erased using atomic microscope

(Newser) - Imagine a computer chip that could literally have wires drawn onto it and erased like an etch-a-sketch. That’s what University of Pittsburgh researchers have been able to create, Technology Review reports. To demonstrate the technology, researchers drew the tip of an atomic force microscope across the chip like a...

Could the Silicon Chip Max Out?
Could the Silicon Chip Max Out?

Could the Silicon Chip Max Out?

The transistor revolutionized the world, but it's starting to show its age

(Newser) - It’s been 60 years since three Bell Lab scientists invented the transistor, launching an electronics revolution that changed the way we live. Engineers have miniaturized the powerful on-off switches—eventually integrated onto silicon chips—about as far as they can. Now, companies are pouring billions of dollars into research...

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