Transistor Sets Speed Record

Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. announced it now holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest transistor. Guinness notified the company that its ultrafast 1-terahertz (THz) transistor set a new world record for transistor speed. The device, announced in 2007, is an indium phosphide-based high electron mobility transistor (InP HEMT) with a maximum operating frequency of more than 1000 GHz, or greater than 1 THz. Tests conducted by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., validated the ultrafast transistor by measuring a three-stage millimeter wave integrated circuit amplifier at 340 GHz with greater than 15-decibel (dB) gain. Recent tests conducted at Northrop Grumman confirmed an 18-dB gain at 340 GHz, the company said. Development of the InP HEMT was supported by DARPA, the US Army Research Laboratory and internal company funds.

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Published: March 2009

Glossary

amplifier: A device that enlarges and strengthens a signal's output without significantly distorting its original waveshape. There are amplifiers for acoustical, optical and electronic signals.
electron: A charged elementary particle of an atom; the term is most commonly used in reference to the negatively charged particle called a negatron. Its mass at rest is me = 9.109558 x 10-31 kg, its charge is 1.6021917 x 10-19 C, and its spin quantum number is 1/2. Its positive counterpart is called a positron, and possesses the same characteristics, except for the reversal of the charge.
frequency: With reference to electromagnetic radiation, the number of crests of waves that pass a fixed point in a given unit of time, in light or other wave motion. Expressed in hertz or cycles per second.
nano: An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
photonics: The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
terahertz: Terahertz (THz) refers to a unit of frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum, denoting waves with frequencies between 0.1 and 10 terahertz. One terahertz is equivalent to one trillion hertz, or cycles per second. The terahertz frequency range falls between the microwave and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Key points about terahertz include: Frequency range: The terahertz range spans from approximately 0.1 terahertz (100 gigahertz) to 10 terahertz. This corresponds to...
transistor: An electronic device consisting of a semiconductor material, generally germanium or silicon, and used for rectification, amplification and switching. Its mode of operation utilizes transmission across the junction of the donor electrons and holes.
wave: 1. An undulation or vibration; a form of movement by which all radiant energy of the electromagnetic spectrum is estimated to travel. 2. A type of surface defect, usually due to improper polishing.

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