Transistor
Also known as: transistors
- 1Functions as an electrical switch or signal amplifier.
- 2Composed of semiconductor material with at least three terminals.
- 3Controls output current via input voltage or current.
- 4Serves as a primary building block for integrated circuits.
- 5Recognized as a defining invention of the 20th century.
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power.
Connections1
Site of invention and early development
Bell Labs researchers John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley invented the point-contact transistor at the facility in 1947, fundamentally changing electronics.
A transistor is a fundamental semiconductor device engineered to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. As a cornerstone of modern electronics, it typically consists of semiconductor material featuring at least three terminals that facilitate connections to an electronic circuit.
Metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), showing gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (white).Wikimedia Commons: File:MOSFET_Structure.pngJulius Edgar Lilienfeld proposed the concept of a field-effect transistor in 1925.Wikimedia Commons: File:Julius_Edgar_Lilienfeld_(1881-1963).jpgJohn Bardeen, William Shockley, and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs in 1948; Bardeen and Brattain invented the point-contact transistor in 1947 and Shockley invented the bipolar junction transistor in 1948.Wikimedia Commons: File:Bardeen_Shockley_Brattain_1948.JPGA replica of the first working transistor, a point-contact transistor invented in 1947Wikimedia CommonsHerbert Mataré and Heinrich Welker independently invented a point-contact transistor in June 1948.Wikimedia CommonsA Philco surface-barrier transistor developed and produced in 1953Wikimedia CommonsDiagram of one of the SiO 2 transistor devices made by Frosch and Derrick [ 7 ]Wikimedia CommonsA simple circuit diagram showing the labels of an n–p–n bipolar transistorWikimedia Commons By applying a specific voltage or current to one pair of terminals, the device controls the flow of current through another pair. Because the output power can exceed the input power, the transistor functions as an effective signal amplifier. While some are packaged individually, the vast majority are produced in miniature form and embedded within integrated circuits, cementing their status as one of the most significant inventions of the 20th century.