Point-contact transistor

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/point-contact-transistor

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the date of first successful demonstration?December 16, 1947
2. What is the primary developers?John Bardeen and Walter Brattain
3. What is a point‑contact transistor?It is a tiny solid‑state device that can amplify signals, made with two gold contacts pressed onto a germanium crystal.
4. How does it amplify a signal?A small current from the emitter injects holes into the germanium, changing its conductivity and letting a larger current flow between the collector and base.

Solid-State Electronics: Electronic devices that use semiconductor materials to control electric current.
Minority Carriers: In a semiconductor, charge carriers (electrons or holes) that are less abundant than the majority carriers.
Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT): A type of transistor that uses both electrons and holes as charge carriers, becoming the dominant transistor type.
Planar Transistor: A type of transistor manufactured using photolithography on a flat surface, enabling mass production and integration.