Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed the microplasma transistor by integrating a conventional microcavity plasma device with an electron emitter. Kuo-Feng (Kevin) Chen and Professor J. Gary Eden, Director of the Laboratory for Optical Physics and Engineering, published their study in a recent issue of Applied Physics Letters. As Eden explained, a plasma transistor could one day have certain advantages compared with conventional transistors. "As you might imagine, this first plasma transistor has not yet been engineered to the degree necessary for a commercial product," Eden told PhysOrg.com. "Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that a microplasma transistor...