Table of Contents
Why was transistor created?
Because the controlled (output) power can be higher than the controlling (input) power, a transistor can amplify a signal. The first working device to be built was a point-contact transistor invented in 1947 by American physicists John Bardeen and Walter Brattain while working under William Shockley at Bell Labs.
What main problem led to the invention of the transistor?
Germanium was difficult to purify and had a limited operational temperature range. Scientists theorized that silicon would be easier to fabricate, but few bothered to investigate this possibility. Morris Tanenbaum et al. at Bell Laboratories were the first to develop a working silicon transistor on January 26, 1954.
What is the importance of transistors?
Transistors make excellent electronic switches. They can turn currents on and off billions of times per second. Digital computers use transistors as a basic mechanism for storing and moving data.
How has the transistor changed the technology of computers?
Transistors transformed the world of electronics and had a huge impact on computer design. By replacing bulky and unreliable vacuum tubes with transistors, computers could now perform the same functions, using less power and space. Before transistors, digital circuits were composed of vacuum tubes.
How did the invention of the transistor affect society?
Transistors switch and modulate electronic current. Before transistors, digital circuits were composed of vacuum tubes. [Read the ENIAC story to learn all about the disadvantages of vacuum tubes in computers.]
What invention came after the transistor?
The third generation of modern computers is known for using integrated circuits instead of individual transistors. Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce at Fairchild are both credited with having invented the integrated circuit (IC) in 1958 and 1959.
What is transistor and its working principle?
A transistor consists of two PN diodes connected back to back. It has three terminals namely emitter, base and collector. The basic idea behind a transistor is that it lets you control the flow of current through one channel by varying the intensity of a much smaller current that’s flowing through a second channel.
What impact did transistors make in the history of computers?
Transistors transformed the world of electronics and had a huge impact on computer design. Transistors made of semiconductors replaced tubes in the construction of computers. By replacing bulky and unreliable vacuum tubes with transistors, computers could now perform the same functions, using less power and space.
What are the evolution advances the transistor went through?
Germanium transistors broke down at high temperatures, so they were eventually replaced by silicon transistors. Gordon Teal built the first silicon transistor, which worked just like a germanium junction transistor. 1960s: The next big jump in transistor evolution came with the field-effect transistor.