silicon chip

5 Stories

Scientists Build Computer Out of Atom-Thick Material

It's an important step forward in nanotube development

(Newser) - A team of Stanford scientists has built a working computer out of carbon nanotubes, a nigh-impossible feat that could herald silicon's eventual replacement. Granted, the device (which is named "Cedric," the BBC notes) isn't terribly useful, containing as many transistors as the earliest 1950s computers. But...

Compound May Be 'Next Silicon': Scientists

(Newser) - Stanford physicists have discovered a chemical compound that could replace silicon and transform the computing industry, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Jet-black bismuth telluride has a unique ability, researchers discovered: Electrons can travel across it without resistance, losing no energy. So far the material can only carry small currents,...

Apple Builds New Team of Chip Gurus
Apple Builds New Team of
Chip Gurus
Apr 30, 2009 1:31 AM CDT

Apple Builds New Team of Chip Gurus

Hires hint that company is plotting to create its own, secret circuits

(Newser) - Apple has been steadily assembling a team of experts with the capability to design the company's own brand of chips, the Wall Street Journal reports. Insiders say the move—a major shift in strategy—will help Apple design new, exclusive features for its gadgets, and will eliminate the need for...

Transistors May Migrate to Paper
Transistors
May Migrate
to Paper
Oct 20, 2008 1:49 AM CDT

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...

Could the Silicon Chip Max Out?
Could the Silicon Chip Max Out?
Dec 16, 2007 10:23 AM CST

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...

5 Stories