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First Transistor 2N117

first transistor 7Example of a 1950s silicon transistor from the first commercial series produced. They were made by Texas Instruments, with a technology known as Grown Junction. In practice, a part of the N-type silicon wafer was grown, then a P layer was made and another thick N layer continued to grow. The wafer was cut into bars about 5mm high, the base was in the middle somewhere and was searched for by moving a thread that can also be seen in the photo until you find it. With this technology, first invented by Bell who tested a prototype in January 1954 and three months later and independently also by Texas Instruments with the same results, in 1954 the first commercial silicon transistors were produced by Texas. Here you can see one of these pieces from the 1950s, which has been opened to show the internal structure. Carefully opened, saving the side with the Texas symbol, the acronym is no longer legible. It was the first commercial silicon transistor technology. With the tester you can still measure the silicon junctions but with a gain of three, the base attachment would probably need to be realigned after 70 years.

 

first transistor 3

first transistor 5

first transistor 2 first transistor 4

 first transistor 6 first transistor 1

 

 

 

Donated from Marco Legnani