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From: fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Warm superconductors
Message-ID: <32615@sun.uucp>
Date: Mon, 2-Nov-87 13:14:17 EST
Article-I.D.: sun.32615
Posted: Mon Nov  2 13:14:17 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Nov-87 23:39:41 EST
References: <8710291320.AA08591@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
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In article <8710291320.AA08591@bu-cs.BU.EDU>, BIOMED@CZHETH5A.BITNET writes:
> 
> Computers:
> Is the impact on computers that big ? I thought, the limiting factors
> today are the propagation speed of signals, and the stray reactances of
> the elements. Switching speed of transistors won't change, neither will
> inductance and capacitance of connecting lines. Or will they ?

If you've got room-temperature (whatever *that* means) superconductors,
there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to implements at least
some of the switching components as something faster, such as josephson
junctions.  (Aren't the transistors in current devices used as fast
switches, mostly?)

Inductance and capacitance should change somewhat in response to
device scale (but how much?).

Since there are no resistance heating effects, you should be able
to get much higher device densities (pack 'em closer and cut down
on propagation delays) than currently possible.  Faster (and eventually
cheaper, maybe) devices result.

Except for improvements in current drain and solving cooling
problems, I doubt if exactly dublicating current design exactly
in warm superconductors is going to be very useful.  At least,
compared to gains from implementing new types of devices, as well.
(On the other hand, I'm just a software type, what do I know?)

	seh