On Oct. 3, 1950, three Bell Labs scientists received a patent for a "three-electrode circuit element" that would usher in the ...

The two types of standard transistors are PNP and NPN which differs in circuit symbols. The layers of semiconductor material used to make the transistor are denoted by the letters. To keep a straight ...

A Planet Analog article, “ 2N3904: Why use a 60-year-old transistor? ” by Bill Schweber, inspired some interest in this old ...

The transistor is probably the most important invention in electronic engineering and the basis for nearly all integrated circuits (ICs). The transistor is a three-terminal electronic device that can ...

In the early days, PNP bipolar transistors were common, but the bulk of circuits you see today use NPN transistors. As [Aaron Danner] points out, many people think PNP transistors are “backward” but ...

Transistors, the building blocks of modern electronics, are typically made of silicon. Because it's a semiconductor, this material can control the flow of electricity in a circuit. But silicon has ...