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Birth of Modern Technology: Vacuum Tubes
The Engineer responsible for the creation that would last until the beginning of the 20th century is John Ambrose Fleming. The vacuum tube consisted of two electrodes (diode) that had a far reaching application. Thermionic Emission was one of the components incorporated into the tube, which is the flow of current through a heated conductor. Fleming's creation represented a major breakthrough in technology that would impact years to come. -
The First Transistor
The first transistor was a point contact transistor created at Bell Laboratories. The point contact transistor consisted of a plastic triangle placed above a germanium crystal, which was on top of a metal plate attached to a voltage source. A gold strip was wrapped around the point of the triangle that touched the germanium crystal. The germanium acted as a semiconductor device. Then a small electric current would enter a side of the triangle and exit through the other as an amplified current. -
RCA TA153
This transistor was the first junction type transistor. This transistor originated from the RCA labs in NJ. The purpose for the RCA TA153 transistor was to supply Engineers from the RCA labs with functioning transistors to create devices like radios. The TA in the name means that the transistor was not yet ready to be commercialized but was ready to be developed and tested out. -
First Transistorized Car Radio
Chrysler was the first company to create the first transistorized car radio. This car radio would be an option to add to your 1956 Chrysler or imperial car. This option would cost $150. -
Transistor TV
After the first transistor radio went on sale four years before, a transistorized TV was soon approaching. This 8in transportable transistor TV launched sony's TV business. -
Moore's Law Established
On April 19, 1965, Gordon Moore, Fairchild Semiconductor's Director of R&D, publishes an article in Electronics Magazine, predicting that the amount of transistors in an integrated circuit would double every year. -
Pocket-size Calculator
The first single chip calculator is introduced. When a rubber button on a calculator is pressed the censor circuit underneath receives the signal and the keyboard circuit detects this. Then the processor chip figures out what button was pressed and another circuit is activated to actually display in on the screen. -
DynaTAC 800x
The first portable phone was created by Motorola. Motorola had previously created car radios so they needed to figure out how to minimize the amount of technology used to create a portable phone. These phones cost around $3,995 each. -
Pentium III
This was a microprocessor launched in early 1999. This microprocessor consisted of more that 7,500 individual transistors. This software is what enables devices to transmit everything people see on their screens. -
Transistors Now
Ever 1.5 years the amount of transistors in a circuit board doubles. Modern transistors can measure 45 nanometers in size. Research on a material called graphene have concluded that transistors don't have to be made of just silicon anymore.Currently scientist around the world are trying to create the first molecular transistor, this wold be made from a single benzine molecule.
