Transistor
Transistor
A Transistor (/trænˈzɪstər/) is a fundamental component in the field of electronics. It is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power.
Etymology
The term "transistor" is a portmanteau of "transfer" and "resistor". It was coined by John R. Pierce, an engineer at Bell Labs, in 1948.
History
The first practical transistor, a point-contact transistor, was invented in 1947 by the American physicists John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain, and William B. Shockley at Bell Labs. This invention earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956.
Types of Transistors
There are two types of transistors, which have slight differences in how they are used in a circuit. A BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistor) is a type of transistor that uses both electron and hole charge carriers. In contrast, a FET (Field Effect Transistor) uses only one type of charge carrier.
Applications
Transistors are commonly used in digital circuits as electronic switches which can be either in an "on" or "off" state, both for high-power applications such as switched-mode power supplies and for low-power applications such as logic gates.
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Transistor
- Wikipedia's article - Transistor
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