The vacuum transistors at low voltage have been developing

Published:2012/7/3 3:04:00 Author:Ecco From:SeekIC

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh try to develop a device that allows a switch back to vacuum, in contrast to the solid-state, as the medium for electron transport in transistors.

The team comes up with a MOS vertical structure with a triple layer of metal/silicon dioxide/silicon exposed on the side by a deep trench. The metal and silicon layers form the anode and cathode of the device, separated by the insulating silicon dioxide, and the electron transport occurs in the vertical direction through the vacuum.

The solid-state transistor was invented in 1947 as a replacement for the bulky, unreliable vacuum tube. Vacuum tube style electronics in miniature made using solid-state semiconductor manufacturing techniques have been tried before, but the concept has struggled to overcome requirements for high voltage and issue of compatibility with the incumbent solid-state CMOS technology. The work represents a return to the roots of electronics.

The team would summarize their work in a research paper which will be entitled Metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor with a vacuum channel, and it would be published in Nature Nanotechnology July 1.

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