TRANSISTOR MUSEUM™

Historic Semiconductor

Photo Gallery Index

The Transistor Museum™ Photo Gallery has been established to provide an easily accessible and informative repository of high quality photographs and detailed information about many of the unique and historic transistors, diodes and integrated circuits from the early days of this exciting technology. This material should be an invaluable aid to historians, experimenters, hobbyists and anyone else interested in learning about the history of semiconductors and how these ubiquitous devices have come to shape the modern world.  

RECENT UPDATES

UPDATED 3-13-2008

(Added CBS/Hytron 1N81 and Raytheon CK705 – Historic germanium crystal diodes from the 1950s).

UPDATED 2-8-2008

(Added CBS/Hytron 2N36, 2N37 and 2N38 series of germanium PNP alloy transistors – rare devices from a little known semiconductor company.  Also added 1950s Honeywell germanium power transistor tetrode prototype).

UPDATED 1-26-2008

(Added Tung-Sol 2N63, 2N64 and 2N65 series of germanium PNP alloy transistors.  Excellent 1950s germanium audio devices from a well-known vacuum tube company).

UPDATED 12-31-2007

(Added National Union historic germanium diodes.  Also added Centralab SA001, which is a unique and historic mid 1950s “pre-IC” semiconductor device).

UPDATED 12-23-2007

(Added National Union historic T18-B point contact, and T21-A alloy junction transistors.  Very rare and historic devices).

UPDATED 12-09-2007

(New updates to the Western Electric section, with detailed information on historic early point contact types 2N22 and 2N23).

Use the links from the table below to see photos and descriptions of Historic Transistors.  Also provided are links to Transistor Museum™ Oral Histories, where you’ll find commentary from those engineers and scientists who were responsible for developing and using these wonderful devices.  When available, Transistor Museum™ Store details will be listed.

The Photo Gallery will be updated frequently, so come back often.

MODEL # & PHOTO LINK	TYPE	DATE	COMMENTS	LINKS TO ADDITIONAL MUSEUM INFO
BELL LABS
Type A (Photo Essay)	Point Contact Prototype	1948	First developmental transistor.  Used to investigate basic transistor functionality and circuit operation.	Walter MacWilliams Oral History
Bead Type (Photo Essay)	Point Contact Prototype	1951	First plastic cased point contact transistor - used to investigate reliability and performance of devices built with inexpensive plastic technology.	1689 1760
M1752 (Photo Essay)	Germanium Grown Junction Prototype	1951	First developmental junction transistor.  Primitive and hand-built, but basis of modern semiconductor technology.	2N27 2N28 2N29
Prototype Diffused Base	Germanium and Silicon Diffused Base	1954/55	First diffused base transistors. Developed at Bell Labs in 1954 (germanium) and 1955 (silicon). Major breakthrough for future semiconductor technology (ICs and high frequency transistors).
CBS HYTRON
2N36 2N37 2N38	Alloy Junction (Ger)	1953	First “2N” devices from CBS Hytron.  Excellent quality early germanium transistors.	2N38 Museum Store
2N155	Germanium Power	1956	Early germanium power transistor.
2N156 2N158	Germanium Power	1956	Early germanium power transistor.
2N180	Alloy Junction (Ger)	1956	Early germanium audio driver.
PT-2A	Point Contact	1953	Very early commercial point contact.
Historic CBS Hytron Diodes
1N81	Crystal Diode (Ger)	Early 1950s	Early military grade general purpose germanium diode.  Manufactured from the 1950s thru the 1960s by many companies for military use.
CENTRALAB
SA001	Fused Ceramic  Transistor Device	Mid 1950s	Pre-IC ceramic transistor assembly patented by Jack Kilby prior to his pioneering work at TI.
FAIRCHILD
2N697	NPN Silicon Mesa	1958	First commercial Fairchild transistor.
2N1613	NPN Silicon Planar	1960	First silicon planar transistor, precursor to integrated circuit technology.
GENERAL ELECTRIC (GE)
Glass Prototype	NPN Rate Grown Junction (Ger)	Mid 1950s	Experimental glass case. Early prototype to determine suitability of glass packaging.	Carl David Todd Oral History
G11/G11A	Point Contact	1953	Developmental point contact.  One of the first GE commercial transistors.
2N43 2N44 2N45	PNP Alloy Junction (Ger)	1953	The first commercial transistor to be built to military specs.  Basis for the famous GE “top-hat” case style.	Carl David Todd Oral History 2N43/44/45 Museum Store
2N78	NPN Grown Junction (Ger)	1955	Early high frequency, low cost.
2N107	PNP Alloy Junction (Ger)	1955	Well-remembered 1950s hobbyist transistor, similar to the famous Raytheon CK722.	2N107 Museum Store Carl David Todd Oral History
2N123	PNP Alloy Junction (Ger)	1955	Early military and computer device.
2N167 2N167A	NPN Grown Junction (Ger)	1955	Early military and computer device.  High reliability – used in early Univac computers.	2N167 Museum Store
2N135 2N136 2N137	PNP Alloy Junction (Ger)	1955	Early type developed for radio RF/IF.
2N169 2N169A	NPN Grown Junction (Ger)	1955	Early commercial radio transistor.  Used as IF amp in many 1950s radios.	2N169 Museum Store
2N170	NPN Grown Junction (Ger)	1956	Hobbyist RF type.	2N170 Museum Store
2N489 2N490 2N491 2N492 2N493 2N494	N-Type Silicon Bar Unijunction Transistor	Mid 1950s	Historic early commercial versions of the unique “Single Junction” semiconductor switching device	2N489 Museum Store Jerry Suran Oral History
2N508	PNP Alloy Junction (Ger)	1957	First GE type intended for HiFi audio.	Dwight Jones Oral History
GERMANIUM PRODUCTS CORP (GPC)
2N98A	NPN Grown Junction (Ger)	1957	Very early transistor manufacturer.
2517	NPN Grown Junction (Ger)	1952	One of the first commercially available transistors.
HONEYWELL
Germanium Power Tetrode Prototype	PNP Alloy Junction Power Tetrode (Ger)	1957/58	Very rare prototype of Honeywell power tetrode style transistor.
MOTOROLA
XN-1 XN-2 XN-3	PNP Alloy Junction (Ger)	1954/55	Prototypes. Likely the first Motorola germanium junction transistors.
XN-6B    XN-13	PNP Alloy Junction (Ger)	Mid 1950s	Prototypes. Interesting experimental oil-filled devices for medium power applications.
MN9     MN27	PNP Alloy Junction (Ger)	Late 1950s	Pre-production units.  Motorola used “MN” proprietary numbering for early production types.
EP-7	Point Contact	Early 1950s	Prototypes. Likely the first Motorola point contact transistor.
Power Prototype