ought to present day, nanoscale vacuum tubes update transistors?

one of the topics we’ve covered a couple of instances at ExtremeTech is the difficulty of continuing to scale semiconductor technology, and the related hassle of enhancing chip overall performance with out growing clock pace. at the same time as Intel and other manufacturers hold to search for long-time period solutions to this trouble, no acknowledged subsequent-generation technology is expected to restart silicon scaling and allow for a go back to traditional clock velocity gains.

Researchers on the California Institute of era think they will have a way to this hassle — one which entails returning to a very vintage era to resolve the problems of current methods. Vacuum tubes, in step with Dr. Axel Scherer, could be key to improving transistor overall performance and reducing power consumption.

chances are, while you assume vacuum tubes, you think of antique radios or possibly Aopen’s AX4B-533 “TubeAmp” motherboard. The systems that Dr. Scherer and his research group are working on are nothing like classic vacuum tubes — consistent with the team, the systems are kind of 1,000x smaller than a human blood cell, which might make them 6-8nm. One hassle with cutting-edge CPUs is they suffer from significant amounts of power leakage — Scherer’s designs would use leakage present day to turn states on motive, thereby enhancing efficiency and universal performance.

One motive for this studies is that Scherer thinks the microprocessor teams scaling under 10nm will come upon troubles. The homes of silicon apparently change at that factor, turning into each elastic and emitting light. “It’s a extraordinary material, and it offers you this special conduct,” Scherer instructed the new york instances.