TABLE OF CONTENTS The Microelectronics Age essentially began in 1947 with the invention of the transistor at Bell Laboratories. This historic solid state device was capable of both amplifying and switching (on/off) electrical signals. Its introduction spawned many new electronic products featuring major changes affecting end product characteristics, performance, and reliability.
The first transistor was based on the semiconductor Germanium (Ge), and became commercially available in the early 1950s. Transistors based on the superior properties and manufacturability of silicon (Si) followed later in the decade replacing Ge in almost all applications.
The overall impact of the transistor in the marketplace was immediate with rapid growth in high volume production. Compared to the then active electronic component, the vacuum tube, the transistor was significantly smaller and lighter, and required a considerably lower level of power for operation. Transistors made possible a quantum jump in electronic product miniaturization. Early applications were in the consumer market and included portable radios and hand-held calculators.
Use of the transistor as a switching device lead to early applications in the computer industry This quickly accelerated further development of the transistors highlighted by higher operating frequencies and faster switching speeds.
A little over a decade after the transistor went into production, a major development in solid state device technology occurred with the invention of the Integrated Circuit (IC). Co-invented by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Bob Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor in 1958, the IC...
