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What is Transistor?
The addition of a small percentage of foreign atoms in the regular crystal lattice of silicon
or germanium produces dramatic changes in their electrical properties, producing n-type and
p-type semiconductors.
Silicon atoms form covalent bonds and can crystallize into a regular lattice. The illustration
below is a simplified sketch; the actual crystal structure of silicon is a diamond lattice. This
crystal is called an intrinsic semiconductor and can conduct a small amount of current.
The main point here is that a silicon atom has four electrons which it can share in covalent
bonds with its neighbors. These simplified diagrams do not do justice to the nature of that
sharing since any one silicon atom will be influenced by more than four other silicon atoms, as
may be appreciated by looking at the silicon unit cell.
What is semicondutor?
For theAND logic, the transistors are in series and both transistors
must be in the conducting state to drive the output high.
2. Made OR GATE from Transistor
For theOR logic, the transistors are in parallel and the output is
driven high if either of the transistors is conducting.
For theNAND logic, the transistors are in series, but the output is
above them. The output is high unless both A and B inputs are
high, in which case the output is taken down close to ground
potential.
For theNOR logic, the transistors are in parallel with the output
above them so that if either or both of the inputs are high, the
output is driven low.
6.Made NOR GATE from single Transistor
In this alternative way to achieve NOR logic, only one transistor
is used with the two inputs tied to its base through resistors. If
either or both of the inputs is high, the output is driven low.
Latches like the one illustrated above provide one way of creating memory for a computer. With
one latch, only a single bit can be remembered. However, by grouping latches together, much
larger memories can be created. The diagram below illustrates a byte of memory created from
eight latches. Because latches are extremely small, millions of them can be placed on a
computer chip no larger than a dime!
Another circuit which is fundamental to computers is the adder. This circuit is responsible
for binary addition. Before looking at the circuit, it will be helpful to review the four basic rules of
binary addition. We can actually think of these four rules as a truth table with the slight
exception of the fourth rule. Notice that the fourth rule causes a carry.
Rule 1 Rule 2 Rule 3 Rule 4 A B Output Carry
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
+ 0 + 1 + 0 + 1
0 1 1 0
0 1 1 10
1 0 1 0
1 1 0 1
Like the latch, adders can be joined together to make more powerful adders. However,
extra circuitry is required to handle the addition of the carry bits. Crawford [1985] explains:
http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~csonline/MachineArchitecture/Lessons/CPU/