Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Transistors May Migrate to Paper

Circuit-carrying cellulose undercuts silicon on price

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 20, 2008 1:49 AM CDT

(Newser) – The future of electronics may be etched on paper, reports the Economist. Researchers have found a cheaper, easier way to make transistors using cellulose, paper’s key ingredient. Paper could soon replace silicon as a surface on which to mount transistors, which control the flow... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

There are no comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Miami Face-Eater Identified

Chagas Disease the 'New AIDS of the Americas'

Economist (Source Grid »)

How the transistor helped change the world
TechRadar.com

Ditch silicon, opt for carbon
CNN

Technology • Science

electronics • cellulose • semiconductor • microprocessors • transistor • silicon chip • paper

More Newser Stories

Could the Silicon Chip Max Out?

The transistor revolutionized the world, but it's starting to show its age

(NEWSER) - It’s been 60 years since three Bell Lab scientists invented the transistor, launching an electronics revolution that changed the way we live. Engineers have miniaturized the powerful on-off switches—eventually integrated onto silicon chips—about as far as they can. Now, companies are pouring billions of dollars into research aimed at finding other ways to speed up the devices, reports the AP. More»

Apple Builds New Team of Chip Gurus

Hires hint that company is plotting to create its own, secret circuits

(NEWSER) - Apple has been steadily assembling a team of experts with the capability to design the company's own brand of chips, the Wall Street Journal reports. Insiders say the move—a major shift in strategy—will help Apple design new, exclusive features for its gadgets, and will eliminate the need for the company to share details of its work with outside vendors. More»

World's Smallest Transistor Sets Path to Better Chips

Newfound material could replace silicon

(NEWSER) - Scientists in England have created the world’s smallest transistor, the BBC reports. At 1 atom thick and 10 atoms wide, it could be the key to creating microchips beyond the power of silicon. The transistor is made of graphene, a single layer of graphite and an excellent conductor of electricity. And unlike with silicon, the smaller a graphene transistor is, the faster it works. More»

Etch-A-Sketch Newest Chip Design Tool

Nano-sized wires can be drawn, erased using atomic microscope

(NEWSER) - Imagine a computer chip that could literally have wires drawn onto it and erased like an etch-a-sketch. That’s what University of Pittsburgh researchers have been able to create, Technology Review reports. To demonstrate the technology, researchers drew the tip of an atomic force microscope across the chip like a pencil, leaving nano-sized, conductive wires in its wake. More»

Semiconductor Sales Rise While Prices Fall

Main growth in Asian-Pacific region

(NEWSER) - Semiconductor sales in October went up 5% worldwide from last year, thanks to strong growth in the Asian-Pacific region and Japan, and an industry association forecasts 3.8% growth for the year, reports the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile prices have dropped rapidly -- "Consumers are reaping huge benefits from continued rapid price attrition," said the association president. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Transistors May Migrate to Paper

Circuit-carrying cellulose undercuts silicon on price

electronics • cellulose • semiconductor • microprocessors • transistor • silicon chip • paper

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Could the Silicon Chip Max Out?

The transistor revolutionized the world, but it's starting to show its age

Apple Builds New Team of Chip Gurus

Hires hint that company is plotting to create its own, secret circuits

World's Smallest Transistor Sets Path to Better Chips

Newfound material could replace silicon

Etch-A-Sketch Newest Chip Design Tool

Nano-sized wires can be drawn, erased using atomic microscope

Semiconductor Sales Rise While Prices Fall

Main growth in Asian-Pacific region

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?