60 YEARS OF THE TRANSISTOR: 1947 – 2007
The Revolution Begins
Invented 60 years ago, the transistor is a key building block of today’s digital world. Perhaps the most important invention of the 20th century, transistors are found in many devices and are the building blocks of computer chips. Intel, the largest manufacturer of computer chips, continues to innovate to help PCs and laptops become smaller, faster, sleeker and more energy-e cient. Many new applications and inventions powered by transistors have impacted all of our lives over the past 60 years.
1947 – When it comes to helping jumpstart innovation and technology, no invention is more important than the transistor created 60 years ago at Bell Labs. 1960 – Sony introduces the rst portable, transistorized TV, the TV8-301. It has a modest 5-inch screen and uses 23 silicon and germanium transistors. 1976 – An operator in an early bunnysuit shows how a 4-inch wafer is prepared for a positive acid spin. 1981 – The Intel® 8088 microprocessor was selected to power the IBM PC.
1983 – Mobile communication changes forever when Motorola introduces the rst commercial mobile phone – the DynaTAC 800X – powered by transistors and costing a mere $3,995.

1982 – Within six years of its release, an estimated 15 million 286-based personal computers were installed around the world.

2000 – The 42-million transistor debuts. If automobile speed increased similarly over that same period, you could drive from New York City to San