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Historical
Background
In the late 1950s/early 1960s, Western Electric
manufactured four types of transistors for use by the U.S. military. There
were three germanium types (diffused, alloy junction and point contact) and
a single silicon type (diffused). Silicon transistors were preferred for
critical applications because of better performance in high temperature
environments. The 2N1072 had been developed by Bell Labs/Western Electric as
a high current, high frequency power transistor to meet the critical needs
of the Nike Zeus anti-ICBM missile program. The 2N1072 was fabricated
using an advanced transistor technology known as diffusion, which had been
developed in the mid 1950s at Bell Labs, and was a major milestone in
transistor design. Modern transistors and integrated circuits are still
manufactured using diffusion processes.
For high reliability in harsh
environments, Western Electric developed the sophisticated TO-38 cold
welded and vacuum sealed metal case used for the 2N1072. In addition, every
transistor lot was manufactured and tested under strict quality control. The
2N1072 truly provides an example of the best 1950s silicon transistor
technology.
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