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A SURVEY OF EARLY POWER TRANSISTORS by Joe A. Knight TEXAS INSTRUMENTS 1950s/60s GERMANIUM POWER TRANSISTORS
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ABOVE, L-to-R: In mid-1953 TI released the hermetically sealed versions of these PTC types, known as the "102" (first item shown) and the "103". One cornerstone of the TI strategy was to hire the best people they could find - why reinvent the wheel when some very bright minds out there already knew how to do it. Thusly, Gordan Teal was hired from Bell Labs in January, 1953 and brought with him the experience and background necessary to jump start TI's move into the new world of junction transistors. This bold move allowed TI to bring out their first grown-junction Germanium NPN types in mid-1953 (the ad above says 'May'), the "200" and the "201", both intended for audio use. These first junction types used the taller enclosure similar to the "102". This shown "200" (second item) is the 'reduced-size' type which came out by late 1953. Additionally, another junction type, the "202" was also released by late 1953. The first effort by TI to achieve a legitimate output device was with the 1954 release of the Germanium medium power "X-2" (the last item), rated at 1/3 watt of dissipated power. The attached heat sink tab was likely essential to achieving it's rated capacity when installed. Thus began TI's long road into the Power Transistor marketplace.
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ABOVE, L-to-R: The widely known story of TI's world introduction of a silicon transistor is certainly significant to any the further discussion of Power Transistors. (One can visit TI's own web site or the Transistor Museum's own Oral Histories on TI for a comprehensive and informative perspective.) Gordan Teal knew the temperature limitations of germanium would always hinder the development of critical military/defense devices and that the use of silicon in transistors had to be realized sooner rather than later. After an aggressive year of research and development TI revealed to the electronics industry, much to everyone's amazement, the first silicon transistors in May of 1954. In June of 1954 the first ads announced the availability of the first silicon types, the "900" (first item) and the "901". A little later the first medium-power silicon device, the "X-15" (like the second item) was released, rated at 1 watt of dissipated power. Later in 1954, TI also released the "902 - 905" silicon devices (third and last items). |
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COPYRIGHT © 2007 by Jack Ward. All Rights Reserved. http://www.transistormuseum.com/ Joe A. Knight Early Power Transistor History – TEXAS INSTRUMENTS Page 2 |
