Oct 12 2009, 10:04 PM
QUOTE(Awakened_Angel @ Oct 11 2009, 06:07 PM)
sometimes the processor are getting smaller adn smaller.... newscientist megazine once report that scientist are using spin of electron as proccsor
This is called a quantum processor or also known as quantum computer. These processors/computers no longer use bits and bytes to represent data, they use something called Qubits.If I'm not mistaken, we're still decades away from seeing Intel 2 Quantum lol...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computer
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/...90628171949.htm
QUOTE(empire23 @ Oct 12 2009, 08:41 AM)
Lemme put my 2 cents in. The the EE business there are a few ways to make things smaller and in this case, computer devices smaller. Granted digital electronics and microtronics isn't my subfield, but i do know how things work. Although you can PM Ikanayam if you want to know more lol since his field is dedicated to microprocessors.
Either way, the first way to make things smaller is markedly to cram more shite into a smaller area, which means more processors into a singular microprocessor. You don't use IGBTs for switches, FETS with individual logic cells are used. Anyways, but making the production process smaller and multileveled, you're essentially cramming more transistors into the same area, thus you can make smaller chips.
The limits of this are dependent on the materials used, the gate construction, the routing of the microwires and so on. But generally you get the picture lah.
Secondly, to cram more shit into stuff, you need to integrate more discrete components into the system, or increase route density so that more options exist when it comes to component placement. The easiest way is to stuff more conductive layers into a PCB (circuit board), so that routing becomes easier and the physical layout can have it's density increased.
Thirdly, you always have the problem of heat, cramming so much into such small areas always gives you a problem with heat. By adopting either lower powered components or adopting better cooling, technically, the component density around "hot spots" can be increased, giving you a smaller package by default.
Last if not least, no, the military does no possess better than consumer electronics technology. They usually follow DOD MILSTD when it comes to stuff like temp curve stability, shock reliability and so on. Meaning that it's no more advanced than normal stuff we use, but instead of having a transistor in a single ceramic plastic case, military components come in metal canned LMC style casings. Resistors also come in fireproofed coating and the higher spec RNXX series. The Military emphasizes it's technology towards hardened reliability and the ability to operate in differing environments, often they will choose to use battle toughened last generation technology rather than latest generation stuff.
Love this post, very nicely summarises the problems.Either way, the first way to make things smaller is markedly to cram more shite into a smaller area, which means more processors into a singular microprocessor. You don't use IGBTs for switches, FETS with individual logic cells are used. Anyways, but making the production process smaller and multileveled, you're essentially cramming more transistors into the same area, thus you can make smaller chips.
The limits of this are dependent on the materials used, the gate construction, the routing of the microwires and so on. But generally you get the picture lah.
Secondly, to cram more shit into stuff, you need to integrate more discrete components into the system, or increase route density so that more options exist when it comes to component placement. The easiest way is to stuff more conductive layers into a PCB (circuit board), so that routing becomes easier and the physical layout can have it's density increased.
Thirdly, you always have the problem of heat, cramming so much into such small areas always gives you a problem with heat. By adopting either lower powered components or adopting better cooling, technically, the component density around "hot spots" can be increased, giving you a smaller package by default.
Last if not least, no, the military does no possess better than consumer electronics technology. They usually follow DOD MILSTD when it comes to stuff like temp curve stability, shock reliability and so on. Meaning that it's no more advanced than normal stuff we use, but instead of having a transistor in a single ceramic plastic case, military components come in metal canned LMC style casings. Resistors also come in fireproofed coating and the higher spec RNXX series. The Military emphasizes it's technology towards hardened reliability and the ability to operate in differing environments, often they will choose to use battle toughened last generation technology rather than latest generation stuff.
Currently one of the biggest limiting factors for future chips is the silicon itself. There are limits to how thin and small you can make the silicon before it sort of disintegrates with electricity or behaves in a very strange way.
About that military thing, I believe that they do have slightly better stuff, but not on the battlefield. Programs like Echelon use some serious tech to do the things that they do, but at a semiconductor level, I doubt that they've got more magical stuff than consumers. But when we talk about technology in terms of complete systems and software, they've got better stuff, largely because such things are too expensive for any company to make money out of by selling to consumers or because the tech is restricted.
QUOTE(JustForFun @ Oct 12 2009, 09:41 PM)
Is heat really a problem ? If the computer is that small, I wonder how much heat it can produce, something bigger should logically produce more heat, isn't it ?
Heat is a big big problem. When you make so many things so small, you will pack them all up together in a small place.Imagine it like this. You take 100 big candles and put it all over your house and measure the heat of the house compared to you take 100 small candles and put it all in one tiny container and measure the heat of that container.
When you stuff so many things into a small place, where all the little things emit heat, then the whole thing becomes very hot. Try turning on your PC with the processor heat sink removed, then touch the processor. It'll burn your finger and then proceed to melt.
Quote
0.0150sec
0.86
6 queries
GZIP Disabled