Transistor Museum Early Germanium Power Transistor History by Joe Knight BTL Western Electric Page 19

A SURVEY OF EARLY POWER TRANSISTORS

by Joe Knight

THE POWER TRANSISTOR

BELL TELEPHONE LABS AND WESTERN ELECTRIC

One of the next generation of BTL Power Transistors was the developmental WE 2074 (no picture). It was a PNP Germanium Alloy Junction device, likely looking something similar to the WE GF-40010 from early 1957. The 2074 was likely an effort to achieve more dissipated power from their Germanium devices than the typical 1/2 - 2 watts of their previous transistor designs. All the other semiconductor manufacturers were by 1957 achieving much more power from their new TO-3 Germanium types and BTL could likely see no reason why they couldn't increase theirs' too - with a suitable and reliable design of course.

Thus by the end of 1957, Western Electric had released the new WE 2N463 Power Transistor. It was a PNP Alloy Junction Germanium device, using the same enclosure and basing as the GF-40010, with the threaded stud on the bottom face. It was designed to replace the WE 2N66 (2 watts) and the WE GF-40010 (1/2 watt) within the telephone system. The WE 2N463 was RETMA registered and released in March, 1958. As can be seen in the photo below, the Germanium pellet is quite sizable and the whole mounting is designed for substantial heat dissipation. The grey transistor on the top left is from early 1958, while the black transistor on the top right is from later in 1961.

The WE 2N463 was rated at 35 watts of dissipated power or several watts of Class A power and it's housing based in the new TO-32 design. Western Electric, while leading in the development of Power Transistor semiconductor technology, finally got into the race for Germanium powered output devices that could compete in the electronics marketplace.

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Joe Knight Early Power Transistor History – BTL/WESTERN ELECTRIC Page 19