Radio Age - 1952, April -34 Pages, 2.9 MB, .PDF - VacuumTubeEra

Transistors - -Modern Miracle of ElectronicsDevelopment of Tiny Electronic DeviceGoes Forward Rapidly in Broad ProgramInitiated by RCA Scientistsand Engineers.NiEW possibilities for extending the usefulness ofthe transistor — tiny electronic device which functionslike certain types of vacuum tubes — have been disclosedby research scientistsCorporation ofAmerica.and engineers of the RadioDevelopment of the RCA transistor, noted for itsreliability and ruggedness, emerged from a broad programinitiated at the David Sarnoff Research Center ofRCA, Princeton, N. J.,and carried forward into practicalapplications at the RCA plants in Harrison andCamden, N. J.In addition, these activities are providingvaluable information on new electronic circuits thatwill be necessary before transistors can be utilized, accordingto Dr. E. W. Engstrom, Vice President in Chargeof the RCA LaboratoriesDivision."As the vacuum tube made possible the modernmiracles of radio, television and radar," says Dr. Engstrom,"so will the transistor become a tool with whichto open vast new horizons in the electronic art. However,RCA does not expect the transistor to supplantthe electron tube any more than radio replaced tliephonograph. In fact, the market for electron tubes isalmost certain to increase under the full impact ofcommercial transistors."This is because the transistor permits developmentof electronic instruments and apparatus undreamed ofat the present time. Many of these devices will stillrequire electron tubes. Thus, as transistors begin to takethe place of certain rubes, the displaced tubes will findnew jobs in new electronic gear."Operates at Low TenipciatinesA paper on the improved RCA transistor in tlieDecember, 1951 issue of RCA Review, prepared byB. N. Slade, of the RCA Tube Department, describesit as shock resistant, unaffected by dampness and ableto operate at temperatures as low as liquid air (minus180 degrees Centigrade). These characteristics havebeen achieved by embedding the elements of the transistorin thermosetting resin to provide the finishedproduct with an almost indestructible protective case.In appearance and size, the RCA transistor resemblesAlthough only the size of o kernel of corn, the transistoJperforms the functions of certain types of vacuum fubea^a small kernel of corn, with three needle-like terminalsprotruding from the end. Its principal embedded elementis a quantity of single-crystal germanium about thesize of a pinhead. Overall, the transistor measures6 10" by 3 10" by 2 TO".One of the world's few setups forproducing singlecrystalgermanium needed for transistors was on publicview in New York during March 3-6 at the Instituteof Radio Engineers exhibit in Grand Central Palace.Refinement of this rare element w-as accomplished withprofessional efficiency through the use of a small electricfurnace operated by RCA engineers.The germanium furnace, part of a display showingresearch into electronically active solids, transformed thegermanium into the desired single-crystal form. To obtainthe processed germanium crystals RCA engineers"tiraw" — instead of cast — a thin, pencil-like ingot8 RADIO AGE