Well THIS is interesting!

[Mark Hammer]

A regular over at MEF noticed this company producing NEW germanium devices.  Check out the list:  http://www.comsetsemi.com/en/searchprod.php?Products=Transistor

Here's his post:  http://music-electronics-forum.com/t41961-post420886/#post420886

[tonyharker]

So which ones are Germanium in that list?

[Mark Hammer]

Check the forum post that I linked to.  I honestly couldn't find anything on the corporate web-page, but apparently they are producing several devices with an AD or AS prefix.

I am naively assuming that, because of where he posted this news, those devices have some utility for us.

[amptramp]

Interesting that the contact page on their site does not have any bricks-and-mortar address, just a form for asking questions.  We have no idea where this new Germanium Valley is located - maybe somewhere in China because germanium was originally found in chimney scrapings from coal furnaces and China still uses a lot of coal.  (Germany does not use much coal anymore but the name germanium comes from the fact that it was found in chimney scrapings in Germany.)  Still, a new factory with the possibility of good process control is a good idea.  But I suspect the company has bought up an old silicon foundry that had been abandoned by one of the producers from decades ago because it was not suited to the rapidly-tightening specs on commercial semiconductors in the 1980's.

[TejfolvonDanone]

Check the forum post that I linked to.  I honestly couldn't find anything on the corporate web-page, but apparently they are producing several devices with an AD or AS prefix.

I am naively assuming that, because of where he posted this news, those devices have some utility for us.

There's a link in the forum post to a retail called Electrol. They have a lot of germanium transistors and not just AD and AS types. They don't really look like NEW.

[duck_arse]

.... germanium was originally found in chimney scrapings from coal furnaces ....

what were they actually looking for in the chimney scrapes?

[vigilante397]

what were they actually looking for in the chimney scrapes?

duck_arse, asking the questions that need to be asked I always wonder about things like that when reading odd studies and such.

[armdnrdy]

what were they actually looking for in the chimney scrapes?

Maybe searching for a "cure all"

Leaches just weren't doing the trick anymore! 

[thermionix]

what were they actually looking for in the chimney scrapes?

Santa DNA.  Duh.

[Gentle Jack Jones]

That's some key pedal-geek %^&*tail party trivia right there!

Interesting that the contact page on their site does not have any bricks-and-mortar address, just a form for asking questions.  We have no idea where this new Germanium Valley is located - maybe somewhere in China because germanium was originally found in chimney scrapings from coal furnaces and China still uses a lot of coal. (Germany does not use much coal anymore but the name germanium comes from the fact that it was found in chimney scrapings in Germany.) Still, a new factory with the possibility of good process control is a good idea.  But I suspect the company has bought up an old silicon foundry that had been abandoned by one of the producers from decades ago because it was not suited to the rapidly-tightening specs on commercial semiconductors in the 1980's.

[Gentle Jack Jones]

That's pretty funny, too. Let's see: %^&*amamie   %^&*atoo my big John Han%^&*

Yep. 

That's some key pedal-geek %^&*tail party trivia right there!

Interesting that the contact page on their site does not have any bricks-and-mortar address, just a form for asking questions.  We have no idea where this new Germanium Valley is located - maybe somewhere in China because germanium was originally found in chimney scrapings from coal furnaces and China still uses a lot of coal. (Germany does not use much coal anymore but the name germanium comes from the fact that it was found in chimney scrapings in Germany.) Still, a new factory with the possibility of good process control is a good idea.  But I suspect the company has bought up an old silicon foundry that had been abandoned by one of the producers from decades ago because it was not suited to the rapidly-tightening specs on commercial semiconductors in the 1980's.