The Technological Impact of Transistors

Morton, John; Pietenpol, W. J.

doi:10.1109/jrproc.1958.286834

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Additionally, digital logic systems typically require far more components and interconnects for practical operations than analog circuits utilizing proportional amplification 41 , 42 . This problem, colloquially known in electronics as the tyranny of numbers 43 , is particularly pertinent given that today’s microfluidic circuit elements are much larger than their electronic counterparts.…”

Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

A microfluidic transistor for automatic control of liquids

Gopinathan,

Mishra,

Mutlu

et al. 2023

Nature

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Microfluidics have enabled notable advances in molecular biology1,2, synthetic chemistry3,4, diagnostics5,6 and tissue engineering7. However, there has long been a critical need in the field to manipulate fluids and suspended matter with the precision, modularity and scalability of electronic circuits8–10. Just as the electronic transistor enabled unprecedented advances in the automatic control of electricity on an electronic chip, a microfluidic analogue to the transistor could enable improvements in the automatic control of reagents, droplets and single cells on a microfluidic chip. Previous works on creating a microfluidic analogue to the electronic transistor11–13 did not replicate the transistor’s saturation behaviour, and could not achieve proportional amplification14, which is fundamental to modern circuit design15. Here we exploit the fluidic phenomenon of flow limitation16 to develop a microfluidic element capable of proportional amplification with flow–pressure characteristics completely analogous to the current–voltage characteristics of the electronic transistor. We then use this microfluidic transistor to directly translate fundamental electronic circuits into the fluidic domain, including the amplifier, regulator, level shifter, logic gate and latch. We also combine these building blocks to create more complex fluidic controllers, such as timers and clocks. Finally, we demonstrate a particle dispenser circuit that senses single suspended particles, performs signal processing and accordingly controls the movement of each particle in a deterministic fashion without electronics. By leveraging the vast repertoire of electronic circuit design, microfluidic-transistor-based circuits enable fluidic automatic controllers to manipulate liquids and single suspended particles for lab-on-a-chip platforms.

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Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

A microfluidic transistor for automatic control of liquids

Gopinathan,

Mishra,

Mutlu

et al. 2023

Nature

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“…[13]. Jack Morton, vice president of device development at Bell Labs, referred to this situation as 'the tyranny of numbers' [14]. He believed a solution would be to search for devices that could perform multiple tasks, such that the total number of components could be reduced.…”

Section: The Tyranny Of Numbersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rent’s rule and extensibility in quantum computing

Franke

Clarke

Vandersypen

et al. 2019

Microprocessors and Microsystems

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Quantum computing is on the verge of a transition from fundamental research to practical applications. Yet, to make the step to large-scale quantum computation, an extensible qubit system has to be developed. In classical semiconductor technology, this was made possible by the invention of the integrated circuit, which allowed to interconnect large numbers of components without having to solder to each and every one of them. Similarly, we expect that the scaling of interconnections and control lines with the number of qubits will be a central bottleneck in creating large-scale quantum technology. Here, we define the quantum Rent's exponent p to quantify the progress in overcoming this challenge at different levels throughout the quantum computing stack. We further discuss the concept of quantum extensibility as an indicator of a platform's potential to reach the large quantum volume needed for universal quantum computing and review extensibility limits faced by different qubit implementations on the way towards truly large-scale qubit systems. I. THE TYRANNY OF NUMBERSOne of the most significant advances in the field of quantum computation has been the invention of quantum error correction (QEC) [1][2][3]. While quantum bits (qubits) are delicate systems, these algorithms can enable fault-tolerant quantum computation with sophisticated correction codes tolerating error rates of up to 1% [2]. Similar values are already achieved or within reach for experimentally observed qubit infidelities across a range of different platforms [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. However, a tradeoff between the tolerated error rates and the number of qubits has to be made. Quantum error correction can lead to an overhead between 10 3 and 10 4 physical qubits per logical qubit [2,12], such that millions or even billions of physical qubits will be required for practical applications. To host and control this daunting number of qubits, formidable requirements have to be met by different elements of the system, including interconnects, control electronics and quantum software. It is therefore essential to develop an extensible approach to the hardware and software throughout the full quantum computing stack.

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“…For both transistor categories, a small potential or current signal at the base/gate results in a large change in current between emitter/source and collector/drain. Once the transistor was invented it quickly replaced the preceding vacuum tube technology and enabled the digital revolution (66). The main benefits over the vacuum tube were the miniaturization, reliable operation and lower power demands of the transistors.…”

Section: Introduction To Transistorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interacting with biological membranes using organic electronic devices

Nissa

2021

Linköping Studies in Science and Technology. Dissertations

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The Technological Impact of Transistors

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

A microfluidic transistor for automatic control of liquids

A microfluidic transistor for automatic control of liquids

Rent’s rule and extensibility in quantum computing

Interacting with biological membranes using organic electronic devices

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