transistor
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AI overview
A transistor is a small electronic device that controls the flow of electric current, acting like a tiny switch or gate that can be turned on and off. Transistors are fundamental building blocks of modern electronics, enabling the operation of everything from radios and computers to smartphones and other digital devices.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Electronic component.name
- Transistor
- Electronic component.image
- Transistors.agr.jpg
- Electronic component.type
- Active
- Electronic component.invention_Year
- 1947
- Electronic component.first_produced
- 1950s
- Electronic component.pins
- Base, collector, and emitter
- Electronic component.symbol
- 80px 80px
- Electronic component.symbol_caption
- NPN and PNP symbols
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
33 sectionsContents
- History
- Bipolar transistors
- Field-effect transistors
- MOSFET (MOS transistor)
- Importance
- Simplified operation
- Transistor as a switch
- Transistor as an amplifier
- Comparison with vacuum tubes
- Advantages
- Limitations
- Types
- Classification
- Mnemonics
- Field-effect transistor (FET)
- Metal–oxide–semiconductor FET (MOSFET)
- Bipolar junction transistor (BJT)
- Usage of MOSFETs and BJTs
- Other transistor types
- Device identification
- Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC)
- Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS)
- European Electronic Component Manufacturers Association (EECA)
- Proprietary
- Naming problems
- Construction
- Semiconductor material
- Packaging
- Flexible transistors
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|MOSFET|Metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), showing gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (white).
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semiconductor material, usually with at least three terminals for connection to an electronic circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals controls the current through another pair of terminals. Because the controlled (output) power can be higher than the controlling (input) power, a transistor can amplify a signal. Some transistors are packaged individually, but many more in miniature form are found embedded in integrated circuits. Because transistors are the key active components in practically all modern electronics, many people consider them one of the 20th century's greatest inventions.