The transistor is a crucial component in modern electronics, invented in 1947 by scientists at Bell Laboratories. The first major use was in hearing aids, and by the 1960s, transistors were integrated into silicon chips, paving the way for personal computers. The primary type is a bipolar junction transistor, while the secondary type is a field effect transistor.
A transistor is a semiconductor, differentiated from a vacuum tube primarily by the use of a solid, non-moving part to pass a charge. They are crucial components in virtually every piece of modern electronics and are considered by many to be the most important invention of the modern age (as well as a herald of the information age).
The development of the transistor arose directly from the enormous advances in diode technology during World War II. In 1947, scientists at Bell Laboratories unveiled the first functional model after a series of false starts and technological hurdles.
The first major use of the transistor was in hearing aids, by military contractor Raytheon, inventor of the microwave oven and manufacturer of many widely used missiles, including the Sidewinder and Patriot missiles.
The first transistor radio was released in 1954 by Texas Instruments and by the early 1960s these radios had become a mainstay of the worldwide electronics market. Also in the 1960s, transistors were integrated into silicon chips, laying the groundwork for the technology that would eventually allow personal computers to become a reality. In 1956 Bill Shockley, Walter Brattain and John Bardee won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their development of the transistor.
The primary type currently in use is known as a bipolar junction transistor, which consists of three layers of semiconductor material, two of which have extra electrons and one which has holes. The two with extra electrons (N-type) enclose the one with holes (P-type). This configuration allows the transistor to be a switch, closing and opening rapidly like an electronic gate, letting voltage pass at a given rate. If it is not shielded from light, the light can be used to open or close the gate, in which case it is referred to as a phototransistor, which functions as a highly sensitive photodiode.
The secondary type is known as a field effect transistor and consists entirely of N-type semiconductive material or P-type semiconductive material, with the current controlled by the amount of voltage applied to it.
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