Transistor Museum Early Germanium Power Transistor History by Joe Knight RCA Page 3

A SURVEY OF EARLY POWER TRANSISTORS

by Joe A. Knight

RCA 1950s GERMANIUM POWER TRANSISTORS

ABOVE, L-to-R: As can be seen from the developmental "TA-1601" devices (made in mid-1956) shown in the Page 2 photo, RCA was seemingly lagging behind the other major manufacturers, such as CBS, Delco and Motorola, etc., in coming to market with some true high power TO-3 or TO-6 type output transistors. Most other competitors had already released their own first devices by the end of 1956. It wasn't until early 1957 that RCA announced their first Ge PNP TO-3 types, the "2N301" and the "2N301A", the first item shown. (RCA was then still coloring their transistor devices black but this stopped by 1958 - a convenient marker for those collectors out there.) Looking back, RCA was not always one to be the first with a new product, although sometimes they were. Armed with their huge advertising budget, wide licensed customer base, leading RCA-brand product line and their world's best recognized product Trade-mark they could soon dominate in any market once they had finished their research and production preparations. The next two items shown are labeled by RCA as developmental types "TA-1852" and "TA-1852A". These are Silicon NPN devices, and while the enclosures look like early Sylvania TO-3 types, what's not to say RCA obtained other companies sample products to test against their own development, possibly even sharing these through some cross-licensing agreement. We know the first TO-3 Silicon output types were made by Bendix in late 1957 so these samples are likely from that period too. Germanium output devices have their advantage in certain applications, even today. And so, Silicon devices were never going to replace all the other types. Their two developments would always run parallel. And RCA didn't have their own Si TO-3 types available until 1961. The fourth item is a TO-3 Ge PNP RCA developmental type "TA-2048", made in 1961. It likely was the developmental version for the next shown newer low profile TO-3 type, the "2N301A", also from 1961. RCA, like their competitors, continued to obtain more power from ever-more compact enclosure. This new device is about half the height of the original black 2N301A.

RCA later went into second-sourcing other popular semiconductor devices, likely through cross-licensing technology agreements such as they had done for years in the tube marketplace. With their vast resources and research facilities RCA continued for many years as a dominate leader in semiconductor technology and power output transistors. They too eventually succumbed to the world market pressures and rising labor costs and went out of this market altogether as a U.S. producer.

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Joe A. Knight Early Power Transistor History – RCA Page 3