We will look at this in more detail when we review the different types of transistors later. Transistor Switch
The net effect is that we can use a little voltage or current to control a much larger voltage or current. The physics of transistors allows us to use either voltage or current to manipulate leverage of electrical energy in the transistor. When you need to do mechanical work on something, if you add leverage, you can amplify your work.
We will walk through each of these in more detail next. Transistor AmplifierĪny time you want to use a little of something to get even more of something, its called amplification.Īs an analogy, consider mechanical leverage. Joining several transistors with other electrical components like resistors and diodes can even create logic gates. The two main transistor functions are as an amplifier and a switch. These functions work for individual transistors as well as combinations of them.
You might be asking: so when was the transistor invented? There are three important dates in regards to the invention of the transistor:ġ927 - Julius Lilienfeld patents the field-effect transistor, but couldn't produce it at that time due to limits of technology.ġ947 - William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain invent the point-contact transistor at the company Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc.ġ956 - Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain for the transistor. Without the transistor, modern electronics would not exist. The size of a radio dramatically dropped by not needing to use vacuum tubes anymore. The transistor radio was one of the first things to be revolutionized from this technology. When it was invented, it led to an electronic revolution that ushered in a new era of technology. The transistor is a fundamental building block of modern day electronics. The germanium acted as a semiconductor so that a small electric current entering on one side of the gold strip came out the other side as a proportionately amplified current.#1 Lessons: Transistors make great switches and amplifiers, and the two main types of are:īipolar Junction Transistors (BJT) - you use current to manipulateįield Effect Transistors (FET) - you use voltage to manipulate A strip of gold was wrapped around the point of the triangle with a tiny gap cut into the gold at the precise point it came in contact with the germanium crystal. It consisted of a plastic triangle lightly suspended above a germanium crystal which itself was sitting on a metal plate attached to a voltage source. The picture on the left above shows the first point contact transistor built by Walter Brattain. Although video was possible with vacuum tube equipment, as was the case with the Ampex VRX-1000, without the transistor video products would never have gotten very small. Prior to the transistor the only alternative to its current regulation and switching functions (TRANSfer resISTOR) was the vacuum tube, which could only be miniaturized to a certain extent, and wasted a lot of energy in the form of heat. This was perhaps the most important electronics event of the 20th century, as it later made possible the integrated circuit and microprocessor that are the basis of modern electronics. The first transistor was invented at Bell Laboratories on Decemby William Shockley (seated at Brattain's laboratory bench), John Bardeen (left) and Walter Brattain (right). Previous Image | Next Image | Slide Show Index | CED M a g i c Home 1947: Invention of the Transistor