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| In 1951, William Schockley invented the first junction transistor, a
semiconductor device that can amplify (enlarge) electronic signals
such as radio and television signals. The transistor has led to many
other semiconductor inventions including the integrated circuit (IC),
a small device that contains thousands of miniaturized transistors.
Because of the IC, modern computers and other electronic miracles
are possible. This chapter introduces the bipolar junction transistor (BJT), the kind that uses both free electrons and holes. The word bipolar is an abbreviation for "two polarities." Following chapters will explore how this BJT can be used as an amplifier and as a switch. |