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KF5JRV > TECH 04.02.17 14:24l 123 Lines 6298 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 9862_KF5JRV
Read: GUEST
Subj: Transistor History
Path: IW8PGT<IR2UBX<IW2OHX<UA6ADV<CX2SA<N0KFQ<KF5JRV
Sent: 170204/1215Z @:KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA #:9862 BPQK6.0.13
The transistor history tells of a development that took many years. It built on
many years of theoretical research into semiconductors.
First semiconductor diodes arrived and these were able to deliver improved
performance over thermionic predecessors in some areas.
However the transistor history is a testament to the perseverance of the
researchers who were finally rewarded with the first semiconductor amplifying
device.
Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley were the names that are remembered within the
transistor history, but there were many others along the way, who also
contributed to the final invention of the bipolar transistor.
Transistor history foundations
The first foundations in the transistor history were set in place many years
before. Even in the nineteenth century it had been observed that a class of
materials had some unusual electrical properties. These semiconductors had a
negative coefficient of resistivity, they were able to rectify electrical
currents and they exhibited a photoelectric effect.
Another early use of semiconductors was for the "cat's whiskers" which were
detectors used in radio sets. Although they were cheap, there were notoriously
unreliable.
Although there was comparatively little interest in semiconductors at this
stage of the transistor history before the Second World War, but some
developments did occur. Copper oxide and selenium rectifiers started to be
used, particularly in applications like battery chargers. The photoelectric
effect was also exploited in photographic exposure meters. However their use
was relatively limited.
However some development of semiconductor devices occurred in the 1920s and
1930s, most of the theoretical research into the sub-molecular physics was
directed towards thermionic technology. This was because even small advances in
this field would produce large rewards and a handsome return on investment.
Diode developments
One of the major motivators in the history of the transistor and the
development of semiconductor technology in general was the Second World War.
One of the greatest advantages which Britain held over Germany was the use of
Radar. Operating on relatively high frequencies the need for high performance
high frequency components became even more acute. Semiconductor technology was
a major key to performance at the higher frequencies being used.
Experts in all fields associated with the development of semiconductors from
the UK and USA were quickly assembled. Work started on producing point contact
diodes.
As the work progressed semiconductor diode technology made many strides
forwards. Teams on both sides of the conflict made developments which gave
devices which a far superior performance to anything that was available before
the war.
Transistor work starts
As hostilities started to draw to a close, Bell Laboratories realised that
there were major possibilities for semiconductor technology. In the spring of
1945 a major meeting was called to discuss the future research into them - this
was a pivotal point in the transistor history. Later that year authorization
was granted for research to proceed to seek "new knowledge that could be used
in the development of completely new and improved components".
As a result a solid state physics group was set up under William Shockley and
Stanley Morgan. Shockley also headed up the semiconductor sub-group which was
to include Brattain and Bardeen to make up the trio who invented the transistor.
Transistor trio
The three main characters involved in the transistor history were:
William Shockley: He was born in London in 1910 of American parents. He
only remained in England for three years after which his parents returned with
him to the U.S.A., settling near San Francisco. Here he gained his first degree
from the California Institute of Technology after which he moved to the
Massachussetts Institute of Technology to gain his Ph.D. in 1936.
After leaving University Shockley joined Bell Laboratories, initially
working on electron diffraction. In 1955 he moved on from Bell Labs to set up
his own company called Shockley Semiconductors in his home town of Palo Alto.
This company attracted many other semiconductor experts. With the influx of
expertise several other companies started up in the area. One backed by the
Fairchild Camera and Instrument Company was started in 1957 by a number of
Shockley's old employees. This all had a snowball effect and before long this
small area had the highest concentration of semiconductor experts in the
U.S.A.. Silicon Valley was born.
Walter Brattain: He spent his first few years in China, moving to
Washington State when his parents returned home. He took his first degree at
Whitman College in Washington State, moving to the University of Minnesota to
gain his Ph.D..
After leaving university Brattain applied to Bell Laboratories but they
turned his application down. Instead he went to work for the National Bureau of
Standards. Brattain soon applied again to Bell, and at the second attempt he
was successful. After joining Bell he initially worked on copper oxide and
semiconductor rectifiers, giving him a good grounding in semiconductor
technology. Brattain remained at Bell until his retirement in 1967. During his
retirement he held the post of Visiting Professor at Whitman College until his
death in 1987.
John Bardeen: He was the only one of the trio to be born in the U.S.A..
He was born in Wisconsin in May 1908. Taking his first degree at the University
of Wisconsin, he moved on to Princeton for his Ph.D.. After taking up a
fellowship at Harvard and a teaching post at Minnesota University he joined the
solid state physics group at Bell Laboratories in the Autumn of 1945.
In 1956 he received a Nobel Prize along with Shockley and Brattain for his
work on the transistor, but by this time he was involved in research into
superconductors. It was in this area that he felt he made his greatest
achievements, and in 1972 he was awarded a second Nobel prize for this work.
In addition to his Nobel Prizes he received a number of other awards,
including a gold medal from the Soviet Academy for Science. Bardeen died at the
age of 82 at the February 1991.
73 Scott KF5JRV
KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
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