IBM <IBM> DEMONSTRATES NEW CHIP
International Business
Machines Corp said it demonstrated an experimental computer
chip called an opto-electronic receiver that transforms light
into electrical signals that translate into computer language.
    IBM said the chip is two times faster than any similar chip
reported and can read 40 encyclopedia volumes a second.
    The chip is made of gallium arsenide which moves electrical
signals faster than the silicon used in most computer circuits.
    IBM also said that since gallium arsenide is more efficient
in turning light signals into electrical signals, it seems to
be an ideal material for the light-based computer
communications expected to be widely used in the future.
    The chip's speed is also enhanced through the elimination
of wiring by placing the functionally dissimilar photodetector
and transistor circuitry close together.
    Bringing these elements closer together also isolates the
receiver from other electronic circuits and reduces noise and
distortion, it said.
 Reuter
