This design, dating from the late 1940s, is still capable of pulse-power performance which even the most advanced semiconductors (even IGBTs) cannot match easily.

The industry's most advanced semiconductors are now generally made by a manufacturing process with a minimum feature size of 130 nanometers.

American corporations have made tentative steps in this direction, notably in the development of high-definition television and in advanced semiconductors.

For example, the Pentagon has agreed to sponsor Sematech, a consortium of industrial companies doing research on advanced semiconductors.

"And it's part of what makes this the most advanced semiconductor facility in the world."

The commission is also helping to finance Joint Silicon Structures, a multibillion-dollar consortium to develop advanced semiconductors.

A.T.&T. said it would join with NEC to explore better ways to make advanced semiconductors.

First, the collapse of the Japanese stock market has limited Japan's access to the huge amounts of capital necessary to build advanced semiconductors.

Monsanto is the sole American producer of 8-inch silicon wafers, a product vital to the production of advanced semiconductors.

One clause stipulates that at least 20 percent of Sematech's operating budget will be spent on subcontracting for equipment and materials needed to build advanced semiconductors.