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The First Paper-Based Transistors
Posted by
kdawson
on Tue Jul 22, 2008 03:52 PM
from the bend-me-shape-me dept.
from the bend-me-shape-me dept.
Roland Piquepaille found news of research out of Portugal that has resulted in the first paper-based transistors (the original article is less informative than Roland's blog). More precisely, they've made the first field effect transistors (FET) with a paper interstrate layer. According to the research team, such transistors offer the same level of performance as 'state-of-the-art, oxide-based thin film transistors produced on glass or crystalline silicon substrates.' Possible applications include disposable electronics devices, such as paper displays, smart labels, bio-applications or RFID tags. The research will be published in IEEE Electron Device Letters in September.
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Finally (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Finally (Score:4, Funny)
Coming soon, the 5 MHz toilet paper.
Charmin - feel the buzz!
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Re:Finally (Score:5, Funny)
Coming soon, the 5 MHz toilet paper.
Overclock it to 10Mhz for extra warmth on those cold winter mornings...
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Re:Finally (Score:5, Funny)
> > Coming soon, the 5 MHz toilet paper.
> Overclock it to 10Mhz for extra warmth on those cold winter mornings...
Don't overclock the Charmin.
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
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just be careful, paper doesn't overclock well, and once it starts smoldering it'll fry out the rest of the chip by bringing it up to 451F
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Honestly? It's so hard to tell sarcasm on text only forums... If you really don't get it, and want it explained, please feel free to reply.
Here's a tidbit though for those who agree with you and honestly don't get this joke (are there any such souls on /.?):
Hz is cycles per second, more or less (some will argue that this is not what Hz is - go with this) so if you had TP that moved back and forth at five times per second, what would that mean for you? If you then underclocked it by a factor of ten, you w
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Soon thereafter congress will have to enact another CAN-SPAM act.
Re: (Score:2)
Is this really so far fetched?
We already have TP with embedded lotion and pleasant scents,
why not a simple audio device that plays some soothing muzak.
Re:Finally (Score:5, Funny)
The cheap toilet paper my company buys already has some type of hurtz in it. Like sandpaper hurtz.
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Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Coming soon, the 5 MHz toilet paper.
I'll stick to the seashells, thanks :)
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Coming soon, the 5 MHz toilet paper.
If you're wiping 5,000,000 times a second that toilet paper better be really good at soaking up blood.
+1 gross
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?
Re:Finally (Score:5, Funny)
New? We've had asswipe overlords for decades centuries pretty much forever, I think.
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Paper batteries? (Score:5, Informative)
Printegrated Circuits (Score:2, Funny)
There was an article published many years ago in an Australian electronics magazine which described 'printegrated circuits'.
I forget which year it was, but it was the April issue.
Origami! (Score:2, Funny)
Not paper transistors dammit (Score:5, Informative)
The INTERSTRATE layer is paper now. In a normal FET, the whole thing has a doped silicon substrate functioning as the grid and body, with a (say) metal oxide semiconductor in between as an insulator (interstrate) (MOSFET). They replaced the MOS with paper. It's still a hunk of silicon.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I didn't know you swung that way. Give me a call later.
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Hmmm ... (Score:2, Insightful)
What about moisture or humidity? (Score:2, Insightful)
This is great and everything.... (Score:5, Funny)
What they really need to do is use something very common; like, I don't know, sand. That's assuming they can come up with the technology. I know, I know. I'm dreaming.
Re:This is great and everything.... (Score:5, Interesting)
but this will put even more demand on forests and the farming of trees - they grow too slow to keep up with the potential demand of these products...
Yeah using a renewable and easily managed resource is obviously a terrible idea... Wait, no it's a fantastic idea, I grew up surrounded by a managed forest [oregon.gov] and while it may stunt growth in the short term the fact is it left us with countryside to be proud of and long term economic activities, especially when you read of developments such as this.
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I would like my transistors in cherry wood. I know some prefer oak and some go with cedar and, o humanity, some less discriminating folks will be going for the cheaper soft woods, like pine. In any case, I'll take mine well polished, stained and with a good satin finish.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Two variants I want to see:
1) Hemp-based transistors (it's good enough for The Constitution)
2) Flash-paper (nitrocellulose) transistors. That will give that extra incentive not to design circuits that run too hot... Or, the ultimate in hardware-based, tamper-proof, and retributive circuitry.
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Paper can be made out of a lot more things than trees. Hemp for instance.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
But then we'll have a dependence on foreign sand. I mean, we can't use our beach sand, or the sand from our national parks...
obvious uses.. (Score:5, Interesting)
"I will not display the next page of the book until you watch this advert in full"
paper airplane, and UAV in one
smart toilet paper (ugh!)
Q's wet dream
interactive wall paper
disposable smart ID badges
party hats with a difference..
"I am your tenth cigarette this hour!"
any more? can anybody think of sinister possible uses?
A heat sink is going to be crucial (Score:5, Funny)
to make sure the circuit never reaches 451F
Oh Crap (Score:2, Funny)
out of portugal ? (Score:2, Funny)
some other inventions from portugal:
- convertible submarine
- windshield wipers (americans improved them by placing them on the outside)
- helicopter with ejector seat
- solar powered flashlight
.
.
.
ok, i confess. i'm brasilian. couldn't resist joking, mod me down at will
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You error was und
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
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A solar powered flashlight (and its close cousin, the wind powered fan) make a lot of sense, so long as there is a battery in there to store the energy.
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Of course the last two actually exist...
Pssh... (Score:2, Funny)
Folding (Score:4, Funny)
The same research team also said they would be releasing a CPU (codenamed "Origami") based on these transistors. It's optimised for F@H.
Incompatibilities (Score:2, Funny)
Not the first (Score:5, Informative)
The first transistors on paper have been published in 2005:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7387872.html [freepatentsonline.com]
There is also a paper by the same authors, which I can not find right now.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The patent you link to uses paper as the substrate material for the transistor. In layman's terms, the paper in that article simply provides structural stability transistor on the paper surface. In some sense, the paper in that device could be replaced by a silicon wafer, a plank of wood or some concrete--it just keeps everything together.
The new work has the paper providing not only structural stability but also acting as the insulator for the FET. Usually the insulator would be silicon dioxide, a hig
Just a second! (Score:2)
...I gotta print an MP3 player and load a couple of songs. Be ready to go in a sec. :oD
Dollar$, Dollar$ (Score:2, Interesting)
ohnoitsroland (Score:5, Insightful)
I think it will take more than one or two decent submission to redeem himself of all the crap submissions that caused all the agitation for the ability to filter posts by submitter and the creation of firefox add-ons specifically for filtering him.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
think...why does he keep getting front page stories? because they like helping jerks? no--they like helping themselves.
Cheap Transistor Inks (Score:4, Interesting)
Paper is an interesting substrate, because it's cheap, but also because it's a renewable resource. It literally grows on trees. It's an interesting development because it's carbon, not a silicon material. It's not even made from plastic, which we have to make from oil. Which means that it could be made from the extra pollution we suck out of the air - the old fashioned way: growing it in the ground.
What will be really interesting is if we can match that innovation by printing organic inks onto the paper to make the rest of the transistors. Carbon based "wires" on the substrate. Preferably grown from plants (or algae - I'm not picky). See if we can't grow our microelectronics, rather than manufacture it, and cut out most of the waste and pollution, while perhaps making fairly durable objects that can be easily recycled into the environment by just burying them in soil. Atop which we grow the next generation.
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Unfortunately this was my first thought too
Re:Batman (Score:4, Funny)
But soon the paper will analyze the cocaine as you snort it and if it really good maybe make a phone call or two. Hundred dollar bills phoning home when they are in large stacks... Faraday cage wallets will really be needed then...
Two twenty's meet in a bar, first twenty says to the second one "I'm from a bank heist last week... waiting for a good signal so I can report myself"
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