Fix this text
Uniken
Fix this textTHE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES
Fix this textNo. 315 (No. 15 of 1991)
Fix this textPublished fortnightly by the News Service
Fix this textRegistered by Australia Post - Publication No. NBF 4388
Fix this text27 September 1991
Fix this textChip reaches
Fix this textback to the
Fix this textvacuum tube
Fix this textBefore glasnost took some
Fix this textof the excitement out of
Fix this textSoviet-American rivalry, each
Fix this textside displayed an almost
Fix this textparanoid interest in the
Fix this textother’s technology.
Fix this textOne source of great interest to
Fix this textthe Americans was provided by the
Fix this texttrickle of Soviet military aircraft
Fix this textwhich accompanied pilots defect-
Fix this texting westwards. The latest models of
Fix this textthese aircraft were usually picked
Fix this textover very carefully before they
Fix this textwere returned.
Fix this textAmong the several interesting
Fix this textitems the Americans came across
Fix this textwas a computer chip in which the
Fix this textusual metal oxide semiconductor
Fix this text(MOS) combination had been
Fix this textreplaced by vacuum devices having
Fix this textthe same principles as vacuum
Fix this texttubes but integrated into silicon
Fix this textchips in the same way that modem
Fix this textintegrated circuits are produced.
Fix this textThis form of vacuum chip
Fix this texttechnology had been looked at by
Fix this textWestern researchers and had been
Fix this textfound wanting in several respects,
Fix this textbut it did offer two advantages: it
Fix this textwas ‘radiation hard’, i.e. could
Fix this textretain its integrity in high radiation
Fix this textenvironments such as cosmic rays
Fix this textencountered in high altitude flight
Fix this text(or during a nuclear war), and it
Fix this textcould operate at much higher
Fix this textvoltages than the usual western
Fix this textmicrochip.
Fix this textWhile high voltages are not
Fix this textdesirable in normal computer chips,
Fix this textthey have many applications in
Fix this textother areas, such as TV scanning
Fix this textcontrollers and the output stages of
Fix this textother electrostatic devices.
Fix this textNow, Mr Sik-On Kong, a PhD
Fix this textstudent in UNSW’s Department of
Fix this textElectronics in the School of Elec-
Fix this texttrical Engineering, is attempting to
Fix this textturn the technology again by re-
Fix this textsubstituting silicon dioxide for the
Fix this textSoviets’ vacuum while retaining
Fix this textthe ability to operate his chip at
Fix this texthigh voltages.
Fix this textMr Kong’s supervisor is Dr
Fix this textChee Yee Kwok, a Senior Lecturer
Fix this textin the Department of Electronics
Fix this textwithin UNSW’s Faculty of Engi-
Fix this textneering.
Fix this textRealising the significance of
Fix this textthis new technology, Mr Kong, or
Fix this text‘Stephen’ to his colleagues, con-
Fix this texttacted Unisearch Ltd, where Mr
Fix this textDavid Hogg, Unisearch’s Manager
Fix this textof Intellectual Property, has
Fix this textassisted him in filing a patent
Fix this textapplication for his new chip design.
Fix this textUnisearch is UNSW’s com-
Fix this textmercial research and development
Fix this textcompany, with responsibility for,
Fix this textamong other things, acquiring
Fix this textpatents for UNSW researchers such
Fix this textas Stephen.
Fix this textStephen said that, with the
Fix this textinspiration of the oxide studies
Fix this textdone by Dr Kwok, he has produced
Fix this texta planar design for his quasi-
Fix this textvacuum transistors so they can be
Fix this textproduced by the usual microchip
Fix this texttechnology, which is available in
Fix this textthe School of Electrical Engineer-
Fix this texting’s Integrated Circuit Laboratory.
Fix this textStephen has called his new
Fix this texttechnology the ‘quasi-vacuum tran-
Fix this textsistor’ because, although the vac-
Fix this textuum has been replaced by silicon
Fix this textdioxide, the electronic mechanism
Fix this textemployed is similar in some ways
Fix this textto that which occurs in the Soviet
Fix this textchips, and to what occurred in the
Fix this textold vacuum tubes.
Fix this textLike the old vacuum tubes,
Fix this textStephen’s design makes use of the
Fix this text‘tunnelling current’, first described
Fix this textby Fowler and Nordheim in 1928,
Fix this textby which electrons can ‘tunnel’
Fix this textthrough an insulator if sufficient
Fix this textvoltage is applied.
Fix this textMuch of the novelty of
Fix this textStephen’s design lies in his use of
Fix this textanother of the many oddities of
Fix this textquantum mechanics, the ‘sharp
Fix this textpoint effect’, by which the ability
Fix this textof the electrons to tunnel through
Fix this textthe silicon dioxide insulator can be
Fix this textinfluenced by the sharpness of the
Fix this textpoint of the conducting cathode
Fix this textwhere it pokes into the insulator.
Fix this text“Unfortunately,” Stephen said,
Fix this text“it is very difficult to control the
Fix this text‘sharpness’ of these points repro-
Fix this textducibly to create the right condi-
Fix this texttions for the current to flow at a
Fix this textgiven voltage.
Fix this text“My idea is to produce mil-
Fix this textlions of these sharp points. Even
Fix this textthough almost all of them will have
Fix this textthe wrong dimensions, I will have
Fix this textso many that there will still be
Fix this textenough to provide the current I
Fix this textneed to operate the chip.
Fix this text“Another control I am using is
Fix this textthe ‘work function’. The work
Fix this textfunction of a conductor is the
Fix this textamount of energy which must be
Fix this textimparted to an electron to allow it
Fix this textto escape from the surface of the
Fix this textconductor
Fix this text“Different metals have differ-
Fix this textent work functions, so it is possible
Fix this textto ‘tune’ the required voltage by
Fix this textselecting the metal with the appro-
Fix this textpriate work function.
Fix this text“The alkali metals have the
Fix this textlowest work functions, which are
Fix this textwhat we need, but unfortunately the
Fix this textalkalis oxidise easily and are
Fix this textunusable for my purpose. Very
Fix this textlittle work has been done on find-
Fix this texting the best compromise between
Fix this textlow work functions and more stable
Fix this textmetals, so this will take up a lot of
Fix this textmy research.”
Fix this textStephen claimed that his quasi-
Fix this textvacuum transistor technology had
Fix this textseveral advantages over the stan-
Fix this textdard MOS technology, including:
Fix this text• higher radiation resistance at
Fix this textsimilar switching speed
Fix this text• simpler process, therefore
Fix this textcheaper
Fix this text• output impedance can be high,
Fix this textallowing high voltage gain
Fix this text• operating voltage up to 10,000
Fix this textvolts is possible, permitting use as
Fix this textan electrostatic output stage.
Fix this textWith these and other advan-
Fix this texttages offered by his technology,
Fix this textStephen has also designed a tune-
Fix this textable CCD image sensor, able to
Fix this textContinued on page 2
Fix this textStudent housing to proceed -
Fix this textlight rail corridor reprieve
Fix this textA University proposal to
Fix this textconstruct accommodation for
Fix this text90 Students on the controver-
Fix this textsial Prince-Cowper Street site
Fix this textat Randwick has been de-
Fix this textferred and annroval will he
Fix this textcmioht to nrnreeH with the
Fix this textsought to proceed with the
Fix this textstudent accommodatton pro-
Fix this textject on a University-owned
Fix this textsite at nearby Mulwarree
Fix this textAvenue and the Barker Street
Fix this textsite on campus.
Fix this textThe University has approval to
Fix this textborrow funds for the construction
Fix this textof an initial 350 beds on university
Fix this textowned sites. Along with other
Fix this textinitiatives being planned the
Fix this textUniversity is still aiming for its
Fix this textstage 1 target of 1,000 beds.
Fix this textThe decision to defer building
Fix this texton the Prince-Cowper Street site
Fix this textwas foreshadowed by the Manager
Fix this texttFe F ro P ert y and Works Depart-
Fix this textI ncn !’ Mr Laurie Lardner, at a
Fix this textlunchtime meeting of concerned
Fix this texti 311(1 stu dcnts convened by the
Fix this textUniversity Staff Association on 18
Fix this textSeptember.
Fix this textThe former tram corridor,
Fix this textwhich the University purchased in
Fix this text1966, is part of a scheme proposed
Fix this texthy the Light Rail Association to
Fix this textprovide a light rail system of trans-
Fix this textP OlllO Sydney’s south-eastern sub-
Fix this texturbs. Supporters of the light rail
Fix this textscheme have been protesting
Fix this textagainst the University s decision to
Fix this textbuild on the corridor and their
Fix this textconcern led to the meeting spon-
Fix this textsored by the Staff Association.
Fix this textMr Lardner told the meeting
Fix this textthat instead of proceeding with the
Fix this textPrince-Cowper Street development,
Fix this textthe University would seek dcvel-
Fix this textopment approval from the Rand-
Fix this textwick Municipal Council to con-
Fix this textstruct accommodation for students
Fix this texton the Mulwarree Avenue site
Fix this text“If the Mulwarree develop-
Fix this textment goes ahead, the Prince-
Fix this textCowpcr Street site would remain
Fix this textavailable as a possible light rail
Fix this textcorridor,” he said.
Fix this textBut he cautioned that gaining
Fix this textdevelopment approval for the
Fix this textMulwarree Avenue site could en-
Fix this textcounter difficulties similar to those
Fix this textencountered in gaining develop-
Fix this textment approval for the Prince-
Fix this textContinued on page 4
Fix this textNews from UNSW's campuses at Kensington; the University College, ADFA; St George, Oatley; College of Fine Arts, Paddington
Fix this textSome of the 70 people who attended a lunchtime meeting convened by
Fix this textthe Staff Association to hear about the light rail scheme and the
Fix this textUniversity's plans for the Prince-Cowper Street site.
Fix this textStephen prepares to coat a silicon chip with another layer of silicon one tenth of a micron thick.
Fix this textIt's easy and takes two shakes of a lamb's tail!
With your Trove account you can:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-253124914
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. (1975). Uniken Retrieved June 11, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-253124914
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit and University of New South Wales, issuing body. Uniken Kensington, N.S.W: University of New South Wales, 1975. Web. 11 June 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-253124914>
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. 1975, Uniken University of New South Wales, Kensington, N.S.W viewed 11 June 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-253124914
{{Citation
| author1=University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit.
| author2=University of New South Wales, issuing body.
| title=Uniken.
| year=1975
| section=volumes : illustrations ; 30-43 cm.
| issn=0312-7877
| issue=1991, no. 15 (27 Sept., 1991)
| location=Kensington, N.S.W
| publisher=University of New South Wales
| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-253124914
| id=nla.obj-253124914
| access-date=11 June 2025
| via=Trove
}}
Citations are automatically generated and may require some modification to conform to exact standards.
Select the images you want to download, or the whole document.
You can order a copy of this work from Copies Direct.
Copies Direct supplies reproductions of collection material for a fee. This service is offered by the National Library of Australia
Copyright varies by issue and article
Copyright varies with each issue and article. You may have full rights to copy, or may be able to copy only under some circumstances, for example a portion for research or study. Order a copy where circumstances allow or Contact us for further information.
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply.
For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
Copy and paste one of these options to share this book elsewhere.