In article , Don Pearce
wrote:
On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 09:06:47 +0000 (GMT), Jim Lesurf
wrote:


Vaguely speaking, A = valves, B = solid state.

Slainte,

Jim

It is just that there are certainly devices that use free electrons (not
bound into any kind of lattice) emitted from sharp points in what looks
on the tiny scale involved like a vacuum. I think that in such cases it
is very hard to decide what you are really looking at.

Agreed. Once the devices become tiny you end up with 'ballistic' behaviour
and you might as well regard the semiconductor as a 'modified vacuum'. :-)

Thus at some point (pun) the point field emitters people have made for
'nano' (buzzword = grants) vacuum devices end up looking a lot like a
ballistic transistor with a small part of the semiconductor taken out. ;-

Slainte,

Jim

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