What is a Transistor?: How Transistors Changed the World
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What is a transistor-and how did this tiny device change the world?
Before computers fit in our pockets, before smartphones, tablets, and modern electronics became part of everyday life, scientists and engineers were learning how to control electricity using a remarkable invention: the transistor. What Is a Transistor? was originally written in 1984 by physicist Clarence Lester Hogan, Ph.D., as a simple explanation for a young student trying to understand the transistor. Hogan was uniquely qualified to tell the story. A physicist, former Harvard professor, Vice President of Motorola, and President of Fairchild, he had spent years working in the semiconductor industry. He also had a personal connection to William Shockley, one of the inventors of the transistor.
Rather than beginning with complicated equations, Hogan starts with the building blocks of matter. He introduces protons, neutrons, electrons, atoms, energy levels, chemical bonding, crystals, and silicon, gradually leading the reader toward an understanding of how a transistor works. The book also explores the remarkable history of the transistor and the people who helped transform it from a laboratory discovery into the foundation of modern electronics, including William Shockley, John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, Gordon Teal, and others. It describes the development of point-contact and junction transistors, MOS technology, silicon semiconductor manufacturing, and the rise of integrated circuits. One of the most fascinating sections is the illustrated explanation of how a transistor and integrated circuit are manufactured. The original material walks through silicon wafers, silicon dioxide, photoresist, ultraviolet light, masking, etching, doping, epitaxial growth, aluminum interconnections, and final packaging. Originally created because there was little available for children who wanted to understand the transistor, this book remains an engaging introduction for curious readers of many ages. It connects the microscopic world of atoms and electrons to the familiar technologies that followed... from radios and televisions to computers and cell phones.
Preserved and compiled from the original material, this edition offers readers a glimpse into both the science and the history behind one of the most consequential inventions of the modern age. A fascinating starting point for anyone curious about: How transistors workThe history of the transistorSilicon and semiconductor technologyAtoms, electrons, and electrical chargeThe people behind the transistorHow integrated circuits are manufacturedThe origins of modern computers and electronicsThe connection between fundamental physics and everyday technologyWhether you are a young reader discovering electronics for the first time, a parent or teacher looking for an accessible introduction to semiconductor science, or an adult interested in the history of technology, What Is a Transistor? provides a unique window into the tiny invention that helped make the modern electronic world possible.
Before computers fit in our pockets, before smartphones, tablets, and modern electronics became part of everyday life, scientists and engineers were learning how to control electricity using a remarkable invention: the transistor. What Is a Transistor? was originally written in 1984 by physicist Clarence Lester Hogan, Ph.D., as a simple explanation for a young student trying to understand the transistor. Hogan was uniquely qualified to tell the story. A physicist, former Harvard professor, Vice President of Motorola, and President of Fairchild, he had spent years working in the semiconductor industry. He also had a personal connection to William Shockley, one of the inventors of the transistor.
Rather than beginning with complicated equations, Hogan starts with the building blocks of matter. He introduces protons, neutrons, electrons, atoms, energy levels, chemical bonding, crystals, and silicon, gradually leading the reader toward an understanding of how a transistor works. The book also explores the remarkable history of the transistor and the people who helped transform it from a laboratory discovery into the foundation of modern electronics, including William Shockley, John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, Gordon Teal, and others. It describes the development of point-contact and junction transistors, MOS technology, silicon semiconductor manufacturing, and the rise of integrated circuits. One of the most fascinating sections is the illustrated explanation of how a transistor and integrated circuit are manufactured. The original material walks through silicon wafers, silicon dioxide, photoresist, ultraviolet light, masking, etching, doping, epitaxial growth, aluminum interconnections, and final packaging. Originally created because there was little available for children who wanted to understand the transistor, this book remains an engaging introduction for curious readers of many ages. It connects the microscopic world of atoms and electrons to the familiar technologies that followed... from radios and televisions to computers and cell phones.
Preserved and compiled from the original material, this edition offers readers a glimpse into both the science and the history behind one of the most consequential inventions of the modern age. A fascinating starting point for anyone curious about: How transistors workThe history of the transistorSilicon and semiconductor technologyAtoms, electrons, and electrical chargeThe people behind the transistorHow integrated circuits are manufacturedThe origins of modern computers and electronicsThe connection between fundamental physics and everyday technologyWhether you are a young reader discovering electronics for the first time, a parent or teacher looking for an accessible introduction to semiconductor science, or an adult interested in the history of technology, What Is a Transistor? provides a unique window into the tiny invention that helped make the modern electronic world possible.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:B0HMW5LMY6
ISBN13:9798160454962
Release Date:October 2026
Publisher:Independently published
Length:42 Pages
Weight:0.27 lbs.
Dimensions:10.0" x 0.1" x 7.0"
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