Back to the Future?

[vincent]

http://www.news.pitt.edu/VacuumElectronics

[kb3ouk]

I've always wondered why they didn't think of this before, it would've been the most obvious thing to do from the beginning. The only flaw in that article that I found is that they are implying that vacuum tubes were also a semiconductor device, and that these scientists are going back to that design. No, they are actually trying something new, but using an idea taken from the time when vacuum tubes were king, and using it for their purpose.

[W3RSW]

Focused anode tubes in all but filament emission?

[K9PNP]

Interesting.  Notice they state that the vaccum tubes used high voltage and therefore are not compatible with current technnology.  Makes you wonder if the family of tubes designed for use in car radios using 12 VDC on the plates are also defined to be high voltage.  Presume anything above 5 VDC is 'high voltage' for current design.

At the level of miniaturization seen now, the size of a molecule will soon be an issue in design.

[The Slab Bacon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2Ag


    

[gerry_w1id]

Anything above 48 volts is considered high voltage. This is based on medical data and serves as a legal basis for establishing corporate safety policies. Some may consider lower voltages. The most commonly encountered bus voltage (based on customer samples) is 3.3 volts. The most common output voltage based on sales volume for voltage regulators is 1.2 volts.