Small Power Requirements Research Articles

Wide‐Range Device Measures Electron and Proton Energies

Scientists at Rice University, Houston, Tex., have developed a single instrument that can measure electrons and protons over the energy range of 50 to 100 000 eV. Code named SPECS (Switched Proton Electron Channeltron Spectrometer) the device is suitable for space missions because of its small mass (0.9 or 1.6 kg) and low power requirements (about 1 watt). 18‐point differential‐energy‐spectrum measurements for both electrons and protons include parts of the lower ends of the spectra that have been relatively neglected by plasma and penetrating‐radiation physicists.

Designing FET's and MOST's into A-M radios

The electrical characteristics of unipolar field-effect transistors (FET's) and metal-oxide semiconductor transistors (MOST's) are analogous to those of vacuum tubes. Such characteristics suggest using these devices in the r-f stage of an a-m automobile radio to reduce age power requirements and to obtain better cross-modulation performance than is possible with r-f stages using bipolar junction transistors. FET's and MOST's are particularly attractive compared to vacuum tubes because they share with bipolar junction transistors the favorable advantages of small size and low power requirements. It is likely that these or similar devices will eventually be mass-produced for use in automobile radios and other consumer products, particularly since they are readily incorporated into integrated circuits which are becoming inexpensive enough to be attractive in entertainment applications.