John Eng's Dead Tech Rescue

Transistors 1950-1965

Early Mass Produced Transistors and Diodes

ATT had the license and patents but founder Alexander Graham Bell establish a license free charter granting to companies who use their patents and licenses to build devices to help the hearing impaired non royalty license. Raytheon was an early maker of transistors because their goal was for hearing aid market.

In the early 1950's solid state devices were made of an element called Germanium which was relatively rare and expensive. In 1954, the world's first transistor radio the Regency TR-1 used Texas Instruments germanium transistors. However engineers of this young company found a way to fabricate transistors from silicon which had properties superior to germanium especially reliability and noise. TI's discovery was years ahead of prediction by experts (see TI's website: THE TI SILICON TRANSISTOR ).TI mass produced these devices and set the way toward the integrated circuit and microchips in computers that made them into an industry giant. Silicon is the most common element found in the earth's crust (sand).

Germanium Diodes and Rectifiers (L TO R)1N23 Microwave, 1N34 (Sylvania), 1N34 (Kemtron) 1N34A (Sylvania) 1N44 (WE), 1N66 (WE), 1N87 (GE) early germanium rectifier and 1N91(GE) 200V Germanium Rectifier

Early Diodes and Rectifiers

(1940-mid 1950's)

Selenium Rectifiers (First mass produced) Solid State Component

Germanium Point Contact Transistors

(Earliest type, hand fitted, fragile and difficult to manufacture)

WESTERN ELECTRIC (AT&T)Both Bell Labs and Western Electric are part of AT&T. Bell Labs invented the transistor in 1948 and Western Electric was involved in the manufacture. Unlike other manufacturers Western Electric only made transistors for telephone applications and the military. This makes them rare mass produced items.
Western Electric 1689 Point Contact Transistor (1952-1953). Early mass produced transistor in unusual glass beaded mount with molded epoxy housing. For telephone applications only.

Western Electric 2N21 Point Contact Transistor (1955-1958). First transistor to use the 2N standard numbering system. Mainly used for telephone and military applications.

Western Electric 2N110 Point Contact TransistorsMost rugged version. Mid 1950's- late 1960'sProbably the last point contact transistor that survived the late 1950's. For telephone and military applications.

Back side showing Date Codes 132, 352, 143, 127 (3-1961 1-1963)

Germanium Junction Transistors

(Mid 1950's into the 1960's).

Easier to make, reliable and allow transistors to be used in mass produced electronics.
Raytheon Transistors (One of the earliest maker of mass produce transistors for commercial, industrial and military applications. They produced the CK722 the world's first and most famous electronic hobbyist transistor (were rejects of their prime units).
L to R: 2N138, CK789 (hearing aid unit), CK721 and CK722 (all PNP)

GE PNP Transistors mid to late 1950's (Top Hats): TOP ROW L-R: 2N43, 2N44, 2N45, 2N107, 2N188A,
BOTTOM ROW L-R: 2N107 (pinch top version), 2N191 and 2N241. These are made either the alloy junction or rate grown process.

GE NPN Transistors mid to late 1950's (Top Hats): TOP ROW L-R: 2N167, 2N169A, 2N170, 2N243, 2N292,BOTTOM ROW L-R: 2N168A. These are made either by alloy junction or rate grown process.

1960's TO-5 Style Germanium Junction Transistors
TOP ROW: 2N404, 2N1302, 2N1303, 2N1305 and 2N1308
BOTTOM ROW: 2N315 and 2N347

Other BrandsComparison of ShapesL to R 2N404, 2N217, 2N1122, 2N99, 2N292 and 2N44

Early Power Transistors (mid 1950's) L to R: CBS 2N158, Westinghouse 2N77, Philco 2N675 , Motorola 2N176 and RCA 2N176 in box.

RCA Transistors (mid to late 1950's) L-R 2N109 pkg, 2N77, 2N109, 2N139, 2N140, 2N109 back pkg

Philco Surface Barrier Transistors (1953-1960)
Philco invented a new process to speed up carrier junction mobility from the conventional alloy junction or rate grown process. This allow transistors to operate into the VHF region and paved to way to high speed computer operations and production of compact radio communication products.

EARLY SILICON TRANSISTORS-

More stable and reliable than germanium transistors, paved the way to integrated circuits and computer chips

Texas Instruments 902 (1954) First mass produced silicon deviceNPN Silicon Grown Transistor

Early TI Transistors can be identified with the company LOGO on the reverse side of the ID number

The 901, 902 and 903 were the world's first commercially available silicon transistor. Before the end of 1954 these would be replaced by the 904, 905 and 906 transistors.

Texas Instruments 952 (L) and 953 (1954) First Silicon Power Transistors (NPN)

Texas Instruments 2N117 (1957) NPN Silicon Grown Junction Transistor
Based on TI's 904 (1955), was the first commercially available 2N registered silicon transistor TI was the first company to do extensive research and development into silicon based transistors. The silicon transistor made TI into a world leader solid state device manufacturer.

Texas Instruments 2N1150 (1957) NPN Silicon Grown Transistor. This is the original TI 904 silicon transistor with the standard 2N numbering. The 2N1149 was the TI 903 transistor.

SHOWCASE

The Next Big Step: The First Commercial Integrated Circuits Using transistors

Thanks to Robert Noyce who joined Fairchild Semiconductor, the first commercial integrated circuit was based on silicon transistors rather than Jack Kilby's (TI) germanium base. The fabrication was based on Fairchild's silicon mesa process which they used for transistor fabrication. This was the Fairchild uL91429 or 914 for short, micrologic series in 1961. It was a logic dual NOR gate and using Resistor Transistor Logic (RTL) architecture. This early form of digital logic was used in the Apollo space program guidance computer. Fairchild would expand the RTL line but would soon move on DTL and TTL logic invented by Texas Instruments in the mid 1960's. Fairchild introduced the first large commercial (multi application) analog integrated circuit the uA702 operational amplifier designed by Talbert and Widlar in 1964. From there Noyce founded Intel in the late 1960's and came Apple, Microsoft, mobile phones, tablets and all the high tech names you know. The early RTL lineup look like this uL90029, uL90329, uL90529, uL91029, uL91129, uL91429, uL91529, uL92129, uL92629

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