Credit: Dan Hixson, College of Engineering, University of Utah.
University of Utah electrical engineers test a microplasma transistor by applying a voltage through four electrodes touching the surface of the transistor. Plasma is a charged gas that conducts electricity, seen here as a pink glowing light. Unlike typical transistors, the Utah microplasma transistor uses an air gap that conducts ions and electrons from a helium plasma once a voltage is applied. The new devices are designed to withstand ionizing radiation.