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From: dawill@hubcap.clemson.edu (david williams)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: GaAs considered dead , indium phosphide, rod logic?
Summary: Nanotech
Message-ID: <7269@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Date: 30 Nov 89 21:21:49 GMT
References: <24317@cup.portal.com> <480@dmk3b1.UUCP> <1376@argus.UUCP>
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Lines: 30

In article <1376@argus.UUCP>, ken@argus.UUCP (Kenneth Ng) writes:
> In article <1Tcfjq#9jMTbv=eric@snark.uu.net>, eric@snark.uu.net (Eric S. Raymond) writes:
> : If you're the gambling type, bet your bux on ballistic-transistor technology
> : or indium phosphide or even nanotechnology rod logic. But forget GaAs. It is
> 
> Hm, indium phosphide I once heard that mentioned by Cray (yes that
> Cray), but I never heard of nanotechnology rod logic.  Is it real
> or is it a joke of some kind?  Does anyone know of anyone working
> with indium phosphide at least?

   As much as any nanotechnology is "real", nanotech rod logic is real.
Look at it this way:  Rather than having various electrical signals, the
nanotech stuff works mechanically, since they are so small that electrical
stuff just overwhelms it.  Suppose our logic worked by having little bitty
rods that get shuttled back and forth: for example, an and gate would have 
a rod that would be pushed to the on state when both input rods were pushing 
on it.  An OR gate would be really simple:

              input 1   --- |
                            | -----  output
              input 2   --- | 

If either input rod gets pushed on, it would push the bridge and thereby
push the output rod.
    You can play all sorts of mind games building this sort of logic.
Considering how *small* this stuff is, it should be able to react really
fast.  Building it would be tough, though.

       Dave Williams     dawill@hubcap.clemson.edu    (signature macro on 
                                                       other computer)


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