These are all under the transistor umbrella, but when people say “transistor”, they usually mean BJT, and when people say “FET”, they usually mean “MOSFET”.

Remove the voltage, and the channel vanishes—switching it “off.” Despite these technical differences, all transistors perform the same job: using a small input to control a larger output.

How the transistor helped create Silicon Valley Physicist William Shockley’s homecoming to a little-known region of California helped transform the area into a technology hub.

However, the transistors are used in a way that depends on the temperature, so it is important to use a transistor array so they are matched and will all be at the same temperature.

At first the US military bought all the transistors Bell Labs could make, and the company agreed to license other manufacturers. As engineers learned how to use the new invention, plans were made for ...