Transistor Museum Early Germanium Power Transistor History by Joe Knight BTL Western Electric Page 16

A SURVEY OF EARLY POWER TRANSISTORS

by Joe Knight

THE POWER TRANSISTOR

BELL TELEPHONE LABS AND WESTERN ELECTRIC

Another power device developed by Bell Labs was the WE GF-45017, released later in 1957. This device is also a 1/2 watt rated PNP Alloy Junction Germanium Power Transistor. It has the more rounded dome cover with its exhaust tip also on top, also with its copper halves cold-welded together. (See below). It has the same electrical characteristics as the WE GA-53242 and would later become the WE 2N528.

These devices used what was to become a new basing designed for all the WE higher frequency power devices, as seen in the photo below. This would become the RETMA TO-38 basing standard. The WE GF-45017 uses three thin wire leads on the bottom for its connections. Again, a light gold covering is applied to all the bottom surfaces. While providing improved heat conductivity the wire leads allowed for easier circuit insertion and soldering.

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