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.
