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Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / Science and Technology => Topic started by: blobrana on June 22, 2006, 12:33:09 AM

Title: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: blobrana on June 22, 2006, 12:33:09 AM
IBM Corp. and Georgia Tech announced Tuesday they have built a transistor that runs about 100 times faster than current chips, a development that could lead to advances in cell phones, radar technology and space exploration.
Although the new chip is far from commercial availability, the latest development is an important step in showing the electronics industry the speeds that silicon-based chips could reach, researchers say.
After cooling down a silicon-germanium chip to approximately minus 268 degrees Celsius, researchers from IBM and Georgia Tech were able to clock the transistor at 500 gigahertz, versus a speed of about 350 gigahertz at room temperature.
 Read More (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-06/21/content_4725684.htm)
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: Cyberus on June 22, 2006, 02:05:43 AM
Hi babe,
Sorry to be a spoilsport, but I posted a similar item as news yesterday morning :-)
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: blobrana on June 22, 2006, 08:31:42 AM
Cool
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: Dandy on June 22, 2006, 10:43:12 AM
Quote

blobrana wrote:
IBM Corp. and Georgia Tech announced Tuesday they have built a transistor
...
After cooling down a silicon-germanium chip ...

You see me confused now:
What is it - a "Chip" or an "Transistor"?

As far as I know there are up to several millions of transistors nested on one chip...

So what did they actually build now?
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: blobrana on June 22, 2006, 11:46:13 AM
Hum,
technically i suppose they could just have had one transistor on a chip;
The transistor is just a `gate`.  It can be open or closed.
IBM just made that action faster....
The chip is just the `housing` and `pattern` of the transistors.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/diode4.htm
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: Dandy on June 23, 2006, 06:23:34 AM
Quote

blobrana wrote:
Hum,
technically i suppose they could just have had one transistor on a chip;

In theory - yes.
Practically I never heard of an One-Transistor-Chip.
Even if there are two transistors in one case, they are not called "chips" but e.g. "Darlingtons" or the like.

I don't know how much transistors have to be packed together to call it a "chip" - do you know the number?
Quote

blobrana wrote:
The transistor is just a `gate`.  It can be open or closed.
IBM just made that action faster....

I like to compare it with a water tap.
At "one end" there is "power" (=water pressure), and if I open the tab at the "second end", the water can pass through and come out at the "third end"...
Quote

blobrana wrote:
The chip is just the `housing` and `pattern` of the transistors.

I seem to remember to have seen some transistors for VHF/UHF purposes with a transition frequency within the gigahertz range - I will have to look in my old transistors comparison table...
(so I would say such high frequencies for *Transistors* are not that new)
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: X-ray on June 24, 2006, 07:59:23 PM
@ Cyberus

"...Hi Babe..."
----------------------------------------------------------




(http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g154/Odd_Job/BlobWire.jpg)




 :-P
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: blobrana on June 24, 2006, 10:40:08 PM
Hum,
it crossed my mind too...



 :-)
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: X-ray on June 25, 2006, 01:04:30 PM
"...Hum,
it crossed my mind too..."
----------------------------------------------------------

What, the 'Blob Wire' ??


 :-P
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: blobrana on June 25, 2006, 01:38:05 PM
Hum,
no the Barbie quote;
but, i like the `Blob Wire` bit - i may borrow the idea for my website...
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: Doobrey on June 25, 2006, 03:44:31 PM
Quote

Dandy wrote:
I don't know how much transistors have to be packed together to call it a "chip" - do you know the number?


I always thought that 'chip' just referred to the fact that something was made on a small piece of silicon cut from a larger wafer, just like chips/crisps are cut from potatoes.
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: Oliver on June 26, 2006, 02:19:15 AM
Quote

Dandy wrote:
I seem to remember to have seen some transistors for VHF/UHF purposes with a transition frequency within the gigahertz range - I will have to look in my old transistors comparison table...
(so I would say such high frequencies for *Transistors* are not that new)


The point here is that it's a Si based transistor.  Si chips are cheaper and easier to produce than some of the more exotic semiconductor materials.  It is not the best suited for all applications though.  The majority of chips have been made with Si, often Si CMOS, and it is a mature technology.  If the technology can be adapted to other applications, it is somewhat advantageous.  So, high frequency Si = good.
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: odin on June 26, 2006, 10:51:34 AM
@x-ray:

You compare Pamela 'plastic' Anderson to blobrana? :-o. I would've thought you held blob in higher regard ;-).
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: Speelgoedmannetje on June 26, 2006, 11:01:09 AM
Quote

odin wrote:
@x-ray:

You compare Pamela 'plastic' Anderson to blobrana? :-o.
That's actually a living person :-? I thought it was a sex doll on that pic...
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: odin on June 26, 2006, 02:45:56 PM
What I said, plastic.
-edit-
Erm, totally offtopic again :oops:.
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: Speelgoedmannetje on June 26, 2006, 03:46:52 PM
Quote

odin wrote:
Erm, totally offtopic again :oops:.
*high five*!
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: X-ray on June 26, 2006, 07:41:26 PM
@ Odin

"...You compare Pamela 'plastic' Anderson to blobrana? . I would've thought you held blob in higher regard..."
-----------------------------------------------------------

I think you're right mate, this must be rectified right away!
Perhaps Blobzie will let me come around to take proper pictures of her in that pose and outfit so that I can make a respectable graphic  :-P
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: X-ray on December 19, 2006, 09:04:50 PM
Well slap me silly and tickle mah willy, Barb Wire is on ITV4 at the moment.
I'm not sure there is much resemblence to our very own Pictish Princess, but she does say "Don't call me babe"

Hmmm, I think I will watch K19 instead.
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: odin on December 19, 2006, 09:40:17 PM
It's funny, Hollywood can't seem to produce decent sub movies.
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: X-ray on December 19, 2006, 10:06:58 PM
Ja, nothing will ever beat Das Boot.
But I like sub movies anyway, fascinated by them.
Title: Re: Transistor Overclocking
Post by: metalman on December 20, 2006, 04:24:29 AM
Quote
blobrana wrote:

After cooling down a silicon-germanium chip to approximately minus 268 degrees Celsius, researchers from IBM and Georgia Tech were able to clock the transistor at 500 gigahertz, versus a speed of about 350 gigahertz at room temperature.
 Read More (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-06/21/content_4725684.htm)


A 5 deg K cryocooler heatsink??