Een belangrijke evolutie in de buizentechnologie? Wie heeft hierover al iets gehoord?
In an interesting footnote, researchers at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory have developed a new cathode material for vacuum tubes that emits a reasonable stream of electrons at room temperature. Image this developed into, say, a 12AX7 without a heater. A preamp built with this could be as cool, long-lived, and compact as a solid-state unit. According to one researcher, subminiature tubes could be developed that have higher power and frequency capabilities than even diamond transistors with virtually unlimited life and reliability. This is one instance where I miss the cold war: tubes are far less sensitive to radiation than semiconductors, and the military probably would have funded development of the thing. The new cathode material qualifies as a new technology. (Kevin M. Hayes)
