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8/4/22, 7:06 PM Just the Numbers.

One: Bell Labs 1947 | by  Derrall Garrison | Medium

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Just the Numbers

One: Bell Labs 1947

Solid State at Last

Source: https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/digital-logic/12/273

M ki i
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8/4/22, 7:06 PM Just the Numbers. One: Bell Labs 1947 | by  Derrall Garrison | Medium
Making a transistor.
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Chemistry, electricity, positive and negative charges, holes and free electrons.
Semiconducting materials residing between conductors and insulators but easy to
manipulate with a base or tap. Look for the emitters that handles the main current and
the collector where the electrons travel.

Make a Point Contact Transistor at home

What is happening inside the computer?

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"i like to be close to the metal because i care about
the performance"
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8/4/22, 7:06 PM Just the Numbers. One: Bell Labs 1947 | by  Derrall Garrison | Medium

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GIF

All those transistors carrying information in the forms of on/off, high voltage/low
voltage. Storing a bit and changing with a bit.

Transistor as a key part of digital logic.

Traiterous Eight and the Fairchildren in Silicon Valley

Just as the transistor multiplied, so too did offshoot companies of Fairchild called
Fairchildren develop more applications and develop the technology.

Field Effect with MOS (Metal oxide silicon) Transistor

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8/4/22, 7:06 PM Just the Numbers. One: Bell Labs 1947 | by  Derrall Garrison | Medium

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This was the first commercial MOS IC: Robert Norman’s 20-bit shift register using 120 p-channel transistors.
1964

The story rapidly accelerates, Computer History website for the history of digital logic.
https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/digital-logic/12/275

Shrinking and Fitting More

As more transistors are fit onto a silicon chip the size decreases. Moore’s Law continues
to measure roughly the progress of how many transistors can be embedded on silicon.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law

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We count by transistors.

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If we think about pennies being like transistors then we can begin to understand the
scale.

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Source: https://www.imaginationstationtoledo.org/education-resources/diy-
activities/what-does-a-trillion-dollars-look-like/

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