The First Silicon Transistors

TI 904 Si transistor
Texas Instruments introduced the 900 series silicon transistors in 1954, the first silicon transistors in history. The upstart TI of Dallas managed to beat the established East Coast companies to the first silicon products. It was through the hire of important Bell Labs people in the development of silicon that enabled the feat. The higher temperature operation of silicon was preferable over the dominant germanium, so getting Si products into the market would give that company an edge.

TI started transistor development in Lemmon Avenue in Dallas and in 1958 moved to a 300 acre site at North Central Expressway. The Semiconductor building was the first building on the campus. The building is still there (although modified) and is now a Raytheon building following the acquisition of TI's defense business in 1997. I visited the facility during the 2000s and you could still see the roots of TI in the fabric of the building.

hfe=28, Vf=725mV, low gain but it was the first.

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