The transistor is a semiconductor device that can amplify or switch electronic signals. Invented at Bell Labs in 1947 by William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain, it is the fundamental building block of all modern electronics.
The Invention
On December 23, 1947, Bardeen and Brattain demonstrated the first working transistor—a point-contact device using germanium. Shockley later developed the more practical junction transistor, which became the basis for commercial production.
Why It Matters
The transistor replaced vacuum tubes, which were:
- Large and fragile
- Power-hungry and hot
- Unreliable and short-lived
Transistors are small, efficient, reliable, and can be manufactured by the billions.
Impact on Computing
Without the transistor, modern computing is unimaginable:
- Integrated circuits: Billions of transistors on a single chip
- Moore’s Law: Transistor density doubling roughly every two years
- Miniaturization: From room-sized computers to smartphones
- Energy efficiency: Entire computers using less power than a single vacuum tube
Nobel Prize
Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for the transistor. It’s considered one of the most important inventions of the 20th century.