“Unlocking the Future: How a Simple Discovery Revolutionized Technology and Changed Our Lives Forever”
On another occasion, while measuring the amplification or gain in a prototype, Brattain accidentally shorted out and ruined one of the gate electrodes by touching it with the emitter electrode. But when he placed the emitter close to the gate electrode, he suddenly observed the gain the team had been searching for.
Based on this, Bardeen suggested placing the emitter and gate electrodes extremely close to each other – within 50 micrometers – to enhance the effect. To accomplish this, Brattain wrapped a piece of thin gold foil around the point of a plastic triangle, cut a thin slit in the foil with a razor blade, and forced this pair of closely-spaced contacts into a crystal of germanium with a spring. Two electrodes known as the emitter and collector were connected to both halves of the gold foil, while a third base lead was connected to the germanium crystal, which had been specially prepared so that it consisted of two layers: an upper P-type layer full of electron holes and a lower N-type layer with excess electrons. In this configuration, the current flowing from the collector to the base was modulated by applying a current to the emitter.
On December 16, 1947, Brattain and Bardeen tested their new design for the first time. To their delight, it worked perfectly, exhibiting a 30 percent gain in power and voltage gain of 15% at a frequency of 1,000 Hertz. Carpooling home that night, Brattain exclaimed to his colleagues that they had just conducted the most important experiment of their lives and swore them to secrecy until Bell Labs officially announced their discovery. Bardeen, however, could not help sharing the news, telling his wife at dinner that “We discovered something today.” His wife, distracted by the couple’s children, reportedly replied: “That’s nice, dear.”
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