The Evolving Technology of Quantum Computers - The continual growth in computing power that we have taken for granted for decades has an ultimate limit, at least given current technology.

ITER Sets the Stage for the Age of Fusion - For more than 60 years, scientists have been looking for a way to safely produce a commercial energy source using thermonuclear fusion. Since fusion requires temperatures and pressures similar to those found in the core of the sun, developing such technology has obviously been extraordinarily difficult. But an international effort undertaken by seven countries, known as ITER, looks poised to make fusion power a reality.

Recent advances in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography are proving more promising than ever, and it’s now estimated that production-level EUV machines will be ready by 2015. This news is highly promising for the vacuum industry, since the new EUV machines will feature vacuum chambers to house the delicate lithography process.

From the manufacture of prosthetics and the coating of medical devices to magnetic resonance imaging and proton therapy, vacuum equipment has helped revolutionize modern medicine. Here are five medical applications in which vacuum technology currently plays a prominent role.