Semiconductor Devices and Superconducting Interconnections at 77K: Super-Semi or Semi-Super

The general advantages of operating silicon MOS logic devices at 77degrees have been recognized for several years, following the early work of Gaensslen and his colleagues at IBM. Despite such advantages, practical applications of low temperature silicon logic have been elusive, aside from some specialized applications. The recent discovery of high transition temperature superconductors (i.e. high-T sub c superconductors such as YBaCuO) provides a new material with capabilities previously unavailable at 77degrees. The question is naturally whether the combination of low temperature semiconductor devices and superconducting interconnections will provide significantly higher performance and greater application opportunities.