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From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Warm superconductors
Message-ID: <1420@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: Mon, 2-Nov-87 14:28:31 EST
Article-I.D.: ttidca.1420
Posted: Mon Nov  2 14:28:31 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Nov-87 23:38:06 EST
References: <8710291320.AA08591@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.UUCP (The Polymath)
Organization: The Cat Factory
Lines: 25

In article <8710291320.AA08591@bu-cs.BU.EDU> BIOMED@CZHETH5A.BITNET writes:
>Everybody talks about these 'warm superconductors'. ...

>HOW will they change the world ?

>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. ...

One of the limiting factors is heat dissipation.  This limits how closely
you can pack elements on a chip, which, in turn, limits signal propagation
rates, switching delays, etc.  Warm superconductors would allow much
higher chip densities with accompanying increases in speed and complexity.

Then there's the prospect of warm Josephson Junction technology, pocket
Crays running off nine-volt batteries or solar cells, etc. ...

The mind boggles.

-- 
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@TTI.COM)   Illegitimati Nil
Citicorp(+)TTI                                           Carborundum
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (213) 452-9191, x2483
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