Integrated Circuit Amplifier Breaches Terahertz Barrier

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Integrated Circuit Amplifier Breaches Terahertz Barrier

Posted by Soulskill on Friday October 31, 2014 @08:46AM from the terably-impressive dept.

jenningsthecat writes: DARPA's Terahertz Electronics program has created "the fastest solid-state amplifier integrated circuit ever measured." The Terahertz Monolithic Integrated Circuit (TMIC), boasts a gain of 9dB — previously unheard of for a monolithic device in this frequency range. Plus, the status of "fastest" has been certified by Guinness — seriously! ('Cause you might not trust DARPA, but you gotta trust Guinness — right?).

In related news, DARPA has also created a micro-machined vacuum power amplifier operating at 850 GHz, or 0.85 THz.

81 comments

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

i miss old slashdot by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 08:50 · Score: 0

:(
1. Re:i miss old slashdot by chuckugly · 2014-10-31 11:01 · Score: 1
  
  It's possible - I lurked without signing up for close to a decade.
2. Re:i miss old slashdot by Ceriel+Nosforit · 2014-10-31 11:11 · Score: 1
  
  I feel for you...
  So, imagine a beowulf cluster of these things!
  I would imagine that interconnect with these things would be an issue. Usually computation is cheap while bandwidth is expensive, so you might have to use a huge number of extremely small computational cores to get the kind of linear increases in speed we'd expect. That would have to result in a RISC arcitecture, and apparently you can build a more or less complete computational core with just 70 transistors.
  Not sure if anyone has ever tried to make a parallel processor out of those, but Maxim Integrated has a microcontroller called the MaxQ in this category of exotic architectures.
  
  --
  All rites reversed 2010
3. Re:i miss old slashdot by Jack+Griffin · 2014-10-31 19:02 · Score: 1
  
  Only speaking for myself but I open new accounts on all my regularly visited sites every couple of years for privacy reasons. This account has a high ID but I've been here since the 90's.
4. Re: i miss old slashdot by Anonymous Coward · 2014-11-01 05:56 · Score: 0
  
  And I've been lurking slashdot anonymously since 99
Cause you might not trust DARPA, but you gotta .. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 08:51 · Score: 0

"Cause you might not trust DARPA, but you gotta trust Guinness Ã" right?"
Actually, yeah, pretty much
And there was a great disturbance in the force by TubeSteak · 2014-10-31 08:55 · Score: 4, Funny

As if millions of audiophiles cried out in terror and were not heard because their amplifiers didn't have 10db of gain at 1.03 terahertz.

--
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
1. Re:And there was a great disturbance in the force by UnknowingFool · 2014-10-31 09:14 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  That's only because they didn't get the Monster gold plated amplifiers. They make the screams sound more warm and natural.
  
  --
  Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
2. Re:And there was a great disturbance in the force by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 12:03 · Score: 0
  
  with a full range of harmonics from 0herz to teraherz
3. Re:And there was a great disturbance in the force by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 14:34 · Score: 0
  
  with a full range of harmonics from 0herz to teraherz
  HAHAHA!! THIS! I see what you did there! Soooo fucking funny!!!! LOL!
4. Re:And there was a great disturbance in the force by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 18:08 · Score: 0
  
  I've seen ads showing frequency response of audio cables and why one audiophile targeted brand of cables was better than the competitor... and realized that off the shelf, beat up rg-58 had a cutoff more than a thousand times higher than what they were advertising, even at the same mild power level their test was listed as being done at.
5. Re:And there was a great disturbance in the force by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 22:52 · Score: 0
  
  That's only because they didn't get the Monster gold plated amplifiers. They make the screams sound more warm and natural.
  No no. For Terahertz fidelity you need the New Monster Carbon Nano-Tube cables.
uh oh.. zombies by brxndxn · 2014-10-31 08:58 · Score: 1, Funny

One day, scientists are going to play the wrong frequency and it is going to re-arrange all our brains.. then.. zombie apocalypse..
However, that can be circumvented if the scientists at one of those large colliders create the wrong matter that turns us all into zombies and starts a different zombie apocalypse..
I had a better story.. but it's Halloween.. go out of your house and look at the women that dress sexy. Happy Halloween!

--
--- We need more Ron Paul!
1. Re:uh oh.. zombies by fahrbot-bot · 2014-10-31 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  One day, scientists are going to play the wrong frequency and it is going to re-arrange all our brains.. then.. zombie apocalypse..
  Or discover the feared Brown Note. (Thank you South Park (and MythBusters) for putting that imagery in my head. Some things cannot be unseen.)
  
  --
  It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
2. Re:uh oh.. zombies by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 09:09 · Score: 0
  
  METH!!!
Tetrahertz by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 09:02 · Score: 2, Informative

From TFA:

The ten-stage common-source amplifier operates at a speed of one terahertz (10^12 GHz)
one tretrahertz is not 10^12 Ghz, it is 10^3 Ghz.
1. Re:Tetrahertz by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 09:07 · Score: 0
  
  The article probably meant 10^12 Hz.
2. Re:Tetrahertz by dumfrac · 2014-10-31 09:10 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  one tretrahertz is not 10^12 Ghz, it is 10^3 Ghz.
  Tretrahertz - the frequency at which trick or treaters visit your house.
Yeah, but... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 09:03 · Score: 0

...in space, nobody can hear you scream anyway.
Not solid state... by friesofdoom · 2014-10-31 09:11 · Score: 1

"the fastest solid-state amplifier integrated circuit ever measured."
"Researchers under DARPA 's Terahertz Electronics (THz) program have designed and demonstrated a 0.85 Terahertz power amplifier using a micromachined vacuum tube..."

'Solid-state' was the term invented to differentiate vacuum tube technology from semiconductor (solid-state) technology... Summary is not just wrong, it gets it exactly OPPOSITE this time.
1. Re:Not solid state... by xfade551 · 2014-10-31 09:27 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  There are two articles linked. The first article is about a new integrated circuit amp. The second is about a year old and is about a separate vacuum tube amp. The first article mentions that the new IC amp broke the record of the earlier vacuum tube amp. So, for once, the summary is correct.
2. Re:Not solid state... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 10:03 · Score: 0
  
  L2REED n00b
3. Re:Not solid state... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 11:43 · Score: 0
  
  No no, solid-state means no moving parts. I learned that here. Where are the moving parts in a vacuum tube?
4. Re:Not solid state... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 13:27 · Score: 0
  
  Vacuum tubes are also solid state...
5. Re:Not solid state... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 16:07 · Score: 1
  
  When transistors came out and started to replace vacuum tubes, you would see things like "All Solid State" on radios and such to indicate that they used transistors instead of vacuum tubes.
  In this case, it specifically refers to circuits or devices built entirely from solid materials and in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within the solid material.
  dom
6. Re:Not solid state... by tlhIngan · 2014-10-31 18:28 · Score: 1
  
  'Solid-state' was the term invented to differentiate vacuum tube technology from semiconductor (solid-state) technology... Summary is not just wrong, it gets it exactly OPPOSITE this time.
  Well, the first link was for a transistor amp that goes to THz speeds.
  The second link was for a semiconductor fabbed amp that uses vacuum tube style technology to make it work. It isn't, ,however, at all close to your traditional vacuum tube. First, there's no filament - just applying a differential voltage (10-15V) is enough to start shedding electrons off the cathode. The gap is so small that the low voltage is adequate, and you almost never need to use a vacuum - you could operate it in regular atmospheric air, or improve performance by using helium. (the gap is so small, that there's few air molecules that'll get in the way so performance doesn't suffer too much.
  It works based on vacuum tube principles - a cathode sheds electrons, which flow through a regulating gate to an anode. But it's all made using current semiconductor processes on silicon. It's basically a solid state vacuum tube.
7. Re:Not solid state... by MattskEE · 2014-11-01 04:40 · Score: 1
  
  No, the electron transport in vacuum tubes is in a vacuum. Vacuum is not a solid.
'Cause you might not trust DARPA... by Jane+Q.+Public · 2014-10-31 09:14 · Score: 0

Correct.

I'm not saying I trust Guinness. But anybody who actually trusts the U.S. government -- especially in its current state -- needs to have their head examined.

Government is not something to "trust". It is something to watch over, with a constantly suspicious eye. Government is not your savior, it is a necessary evil, as our founders made abundantly clear.
1. Re:'Cause you might not trust DARPA... by mythosaz · 2014-10-31 09:18 · Score: 1
  
  I generally trust Guinness and their beers, but their new American Lager gives me pause.
2. Re:'Cause you might not trust DARPA... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 10:14 · Score: 0
  
  Well, to be fair lagers should give anyone pause. Lagers are the bottom feeders of the beer world. Look it up; lagers bottom fermenting yeast whilst ales use top fermenting yeast.
3. Re:'Cause you might not trust DARPA... by Scottingham · 2014-10-31 11:15 · Score: 1
  
  I know it! I can't stand those evil food stamps going to hungry children...psh..government!
4. Re:'Cause you might not trust DARPA... by SuricouRaven · 2014-10-31 11:27 · Score: 2
  
  You make a good point, but it would be an error to accept your general argument in all cases. There are situations where government intervention is the best tool to solve a problem, but many people are so strong in defaulting to the 'more government is bad' position that they are unable to admit when these situations arise.
5. Re:'Cause you might not trust DARPA... by Jane+Q.+Public · 2014-10-31 19:02 · Score: 1
  
  but many people are so strong in defaulting to the 'more government is bad' position that they are unable to admit when these situations arise
  But you and the other responder above seem to have misunderstood me. I didn't say government was always bad. I just said it has to be watched (like a hawk). "Necessary evil" doesn't mean it's always evil... it means something you'd generally rather do without but probably can't.
  
  My point was that even when it's doing things we might all agree are good, it has to be watched to make sure it's doing it right and efficiently, not doing it improperly or corruptly, or overstepping its bounds (all things the Obama administration, among others, is notorious for.)
6. Re:'Cause you might not trust DARPA... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 21:40 · Score: 0
  
  I believe that was a joke based on the mechanism of knowingly saying something unbelievably ridiculous.
These only go to 9 by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 09:18 · Score: 1

I'll wait for the ones that go to 11
Vacuum power amplifier? by msauve · 2014-10-31 09:18 · Score: 1

So, does a vacuum power amplifier make things suck more?

--
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
1. Re:Vacuum power amplifier? by Marginal+Coward · 2014-10-31 09:33 · Score: 1
  
  No, this is about a valve amplifier, not a hoover amplifier.
  (which reminds me: Happy Guy Fawkes Day in advance to our British friends here)
Wait a minute by fustakrakich · 2014-10-31 09:29 · Score: 1

What frequency does a LED put out? At least 430 THz, no?

--
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
1. Re:Wait a minute by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 09:38 · Score: 0
  
  What frequency does a LED put out? At least 430 THz, no?
  Do you have a 9 dB solid state amplifier for that? An amplifier is amazingly useful. So is a generator, but they are nothing alike.
2. Re:Wait a minute by bugs2squash · 2014-10-31 09:45 · Score: 1
  
  Call me a dope but yes...
  
  --
  Nullius in verba
3. Re:Wait a minute by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 19:28 · Score: 0
  
  That's why it's a gap. Between microwave stuff (lower) and optical stuff (higher).
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...
Practical Aplications? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 09:56 · Score: 0

What devices use amplifiers? What applications would benefit from this discovery?
Call me an Idiot.
Cheers
1. Re:Practical Aplications? by chuckugly · 2014-10-31 11:04 · Score: 1
  
  Radar
2. Re: Practical Aplications? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 11:06 · Score: 0
  
  You use an amplifier for making audio signals louder, for example to drive loudspeakers. But this product is clearly just audiophile nonsense - similar to Monster cables - since humans can't hear sounds at 1 THz. The human ear can only hear frequencies up to around 22 GHz.
3. Re:Practical Aplications? by ChrisMaple · 2014-10-31 11:14 · Score: 1
  
  Idiot
  
  --
  Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
4. Re:Practical Aplications? by perryizgr8 · 2014-11-01 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  What devices use amplifiers?
  Every single device uses amplifiers.
  
  --
  Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
Barrier? by rsmith-mac · 2014-10-31 10:09 · Score: 1

Barrier? I think the word you're looking for is "threshold" or even "mark."
It's not a barrier unless there's some property that allows you to hit 999GHz but not 1THz, which in turn requires extraordinary effort to surmount.
Just because you have achieved something new does not mean you have broken a barrier. At best you have broken the English language..
1. Re:Barrier? by SuricouRaven · 2014-10-31 11:23 · Score: 1
  
  You break the brag-barrier. Those round numbers aren't especially important in mathematics or engineering, but human cultures today use base ten, so they are important psychologically. That's why the 99-cents/pence on store prices works.
2. Re:Barrier? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 18:13 · Score: 0
  
  No, it is an actual, effective barrier. It is not exactly at 1.000 THz, but for a lot of work in the frequency range of ~600 GHz up to several THz, a lot of traditional techniques from higher and lower frequencies didn't work at first. There was a gap in techniques for working with those frequencies, and a lot of exotic stuff got invented in the last decade or two to fill in the gap. Now we're seeing more traditional approaches catching up and breaking into a part of the spectrum that was difficult to near impossible to do so before.
Well it's about time by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 10:27 · Score: 0

that the pokey old solid-sate stuff catches up to vacuum tubes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...
TWT, etc...
1. Re:Well it's about time by ArchieBunker · 2014-10-31 10:44 · Score: 1
  
  Interesting component, I had not heard of that type of oscillator before. But the keyword is oscillator. They built an amplifier.
  
  --
  Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
2. Re:Well it's about time by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 10:53 · Score: 0
  
  TWT is a travelling wave tube, they amplify. Tunnel diodes also, betcha you could make a parametric amp out of one of those tiny schottkies.
  http://ams.aeroflex.com/Meteli...
  At that point the connectors are lossier than the gain maybe...
3. Re:Well it's about time by TechyImmigrant · 2014-10-31 14:54 · Score: 1
  
  >At that point the connectors are lossier than the gain maybe...
  The pot-o-gold is to do it on silicon, with the downconversion a few nm away.
  
  --
  I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
Great... by spud_boy_65986534 · 2014-10-31 10:31 · Score: 1

...now TSA can get even higher resolution images of our junk.
i miss old slashdot by Crizzam · 2014-10-31 10:58 · Score: 1

Not with that ID number, you don't.
DARPA didn't make this, Northrup Grumman did by crgrace · 2014-10-31 11:25 · Score: 1

DARPA is an organization that provides grants to researchers. It does not do the work.
The work was performed by engineers at Northrup Grumman. This work was funded by DARPA.
1. Re:DARPA didn't make this, Northrup Grumman did by DaveAtFraud · 2014-10-31 16:25 · Score: 1
  
  Better article at finance.yahoo.com: https://finance.yahoo.com/news... that I ran across on Tuesday.(I own some NOC stock).
  Cheers,
  Dave
  
  --
  They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.
  Ben
Cable TV applications by Eravnrekaree · 2014-10-31 11:49 · Score: 2

Does this mean that RF cable television systems will be able to expand their bandwidth?
1. Re:Cable TV applications by Ignacio · 2014-10-31 12:42 · Score: 1
  
  There'll be 500,000 channels and still nothing on.
2. Re:Cable TV applications by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 12:42 · Score: 0
  
  Does this mean that RF cable television systems will be able to expand their bandwidth?
  no
3. Re:Cable TV applications by Anonymous Coward · 2014-11-01 00:46 · Score: 0
  
  cable television systems will be able to expand their BILLING?
  Yes. Yes it does.
We use stuff like this by NixieBunny · 2014-10-31 14:36 · Score: 3, Interesting

I work in submillimeter wave astronomy, where we would be happy to have a terahertz preamplifier for our receivers. We currently use miers mixer that work at that frequency, but the mixer has to be made with superconducting waveguide to have good performance. There are about five places in the world that know how to make that sort of chip.

--
The determined Real Programmer can write Fortran programs in any language.
1. Re:We use stuff like this by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 15:23 · Score: 0
  
  I'm surprised this isn't 3D printed already?
2. Re:We use stuff like this by NixieBunny · 2014-10-31 15:46 · Score: 1
  
  3D printing is useless at these frequencies. The metal blocks that the waveguides and mixers live in are machined with a milling machine capable of one micron precision. The dimensions are that critical.
  
  --
  The determined Real Programmer can write Fortran programs in any language.
3. Re: We use stuff like this by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 16:20 · Score: 0
  
  An interesting article on /. and only one relevant comment, how sad.
4. Re:We use stuff like this by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-31 22:51 · Score: 0
  
  In a sense it can be - at these scales (sub-mm features with ~few microns of precision) photolithography can be used. The SU-8 negative photoresist is pretty good for this (http://memscyclopedia.org/su8.html)
5. Re:We use stuff like this by perryizgr8 · 2014-11-01 04:18 · Score: 1
  
  I would think 3D printing would be more precise? Because the printer could just create smaller drops of the printing material Why is it not so?
  
  --
  Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
6. Re:We use stuff like this by MattskEE · 2014-11-01 04:47 · Score: 1
  
  Why does the 3D printing matter? Some people do make ultra high frequency waveguide with 3D printing - in the case I'm familiar with they "printed" it on a stereolithgraphy machine out of a polymer, then gold plated all of the surfaces. It may have some applications for complex waveguide circuits which are not possible to make by other methods in a given size constraint. However, getting the plating thickness just right on such a small scale when you have to plate the inside of the long and super narrow waveguide tubes is difficult and conventional machining techniques are often faster and cheaper, and can have higher material quality than a printed or plated material.
  The point of the Northrop Grumman work is that the circuit is integrated on a chip, so the waveguide interconnect will be relatively simple and simple objects can generally be made better, faster, and cheaper, by conventional techniques.
7. Re:We use stuff like this by Anonymous Coward · 2014-11-01 06:34 · Score: 0
  
  The noise figure is not mentioned and probably very high. I work in millimeter astronomy (from below 80 to over 300GHz) and the noise figures of the cryogenic (15K) amplifiers after the first conversion are really impressive. We also have tested 3mm transistor amplifiers and they are not better, need also cooling to 15K (granted it's not the same as superconducting), give wider bandwidth (good) and worse stability(bad). In any case, these amplifiers are inserted inside waveguides, and waveguides losses at these frequencies (THz, not at 3mm) are very large.
8. Re:We use stuff like this by Anonymous Coward · 2014-11-01 06:56 · Score: 0
  
  The methods associated with consumer 3d printing don't work as well at smaller scales. Creating really small drops of molten material is harder when it can radiate away a lot faster (much higher surface area to volume ratio) and when surface tension makes things harder to get small drops consistently, etc. Sintering and melting based methods would mean needing even finer and higher quality powders to cover it with.
  Even if you get it to work well, it is hard to compete with photolithography and ion beam machining speeds for certain scale.
Throttle that bandwidth by ChadSmith4920 · 2014-10-31 14:43 · Score: 0

Too late download complete.
I remember the old Damn Fast Op Amps... by rnturn · 2014-10-31 15:41 · Score: 1

What will they call these?

--
CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
Just listen to the sustain! by MagickalMyst · 2014-10-31 22:10 · Score: 1

This one goes to 11.

--
Political correctness is really just herd psychology pushed by insecure people who desperately seek social conformity.
more details? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-11-01 00:25 · Score: 0

what materials did they use? what is the technology feature size?
It's material beyond your comprehension by Anonymous Coward · 2014-11-01 02:40 · Score: 0

That helps you cut off trackers on /. that're both IP or host/domain based & how to get slashdot classic as ac minus all the dead-weight + trackers AND adbanners here too...
APK
P.S.=> See subject-line above, stooge: YOU FAIL... apk
Since you post ac? THIS *may* help... apk by Anonymous Coward · 2014-11-01 03:28 · Score: 0

What *exactly* is "old slashdot" to you? For you, since you post ac as I do, it *CAN* be this (faster, better, safer, & "'oldschool' pre-beta" too) courtesy of "yours truly" in THIS link (ditch cookies, ditch javascript use, & use hosts to stop the redirect to beta how-to) -> http://yro.slashdot.org/commen...
APK
P.S.=>You can also shear away the IP based trackers they connect to you here with too via firewall rules tables for Windows) too -> http://yro.slashdot.org/commen...
Safer + more reliably & faster still too, via (shameless plug of course) this free creation of mine http://start64.com/index.php?o... for STILL MORE speed, security, reliability, & more as you can see above as to what hosts files can do, for you...
Doing those things, especially here? Hey: No joke - You absolutely SAIL, + so does this website @ it's fastest - which only makes sense: LESS crap weight dragging you down...
... apk
Re:This *may* help... apk by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2014-11-01 04:15 · Score: 1

He's from the old Slashdot. ;-D

--
Ezekiel 23:20
Apk made you do a "Run, Forrest: RUN!!!" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-11-02 02:00 · Score: 0

K.S. Kyosuke you couldn't prove apk's posts on hosts wrong here http://slashdot.org/comments.p... and you RAN instead? Seems no different here now on "the new slashdot" as it was on "the old slashdot"!