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Here is my response to your request for an Extended Technical Definition and Developed
Technical Description on a topic of my choice. I will be writing about an electronic transistor.
Audience
This technical definition and description is directed towards an audience that has completed a
basic education, and has some level of familiarity with electronics. It is targeted specifically to
those that wish to understand the basic building blocks of electronic devices, what they are, and
how they work. This paper is not intended for an audience with an electrical engineering
background, as it will provide little or no useful information for a design project.
Purpose
A vast majority of consumers familiar with electronic devices have likely heard about transistors
whether it be for a radio or the newest iPhone release but they lack a basic understanding of
what they are and how they function. This document aims to define what a transistor is, explain
how it works, and discuss its implementation in todays digital world.
Placement
This document would likely fit well into an Engineering Basics document, along with a
compilation of definitions and descriptions of other engineering devices. Since it is intended to
be informative without being overly technical, it could also be converted to a poster and used to
advertise a universitys electrical and computer engineering department to potential incoming
students because it explains a fundamental device that everything today is based around. This
could also be used in an introductory course for electrical and computer engineers, such as the
University of Idahos ECE101: Foundations of Electrical and Computer Engineering to give
students a broad overview of the different components of the discipline. Finally, the technical
definition and description could be converted into a website link for technology companies to
explain the basics of how their components work.
Image Choice
I chose images that will give the audience a point of reference, enabling me to write shorter,
simpler descriptions that are easier to understand. Figure 1 shows the audience a circuit
schematic, allowing me to discuss the terminals on the transistor. Figure 2 and Figure 3 show
how the charge carriers (electrons and holes) move when the transistor is turned on and off.
Without this image I would have had to write a much longer description to explain how they
work.
Approach
Wayne 2
For my technical definition I explained fundamental terms, and then defined a transistor as a
switch and then an amplifier. For my technical description, I explained how two common types
of transistors work, and then how they can be implemented in a digital (computer) system.
Wayne 3
Figure 1: a) Field Effect Transistor (FET) [2] b) Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) [3]
Developed Technical Description
Wayne 4
This description will begin by explaining how a transistor is made, including various additional
definitions. It will then describe the Field Effect Transistor from Figure 1: a), and then the
Bipolar Junction Transistor from Figure 1: b). It will conclude by describing how they work in a
logic system.
Transistors are typically made from silicon, but can also be made from more exotic materials if
unique properties are required. The silicon is treated with impurities to change its electrical
properties, making it more or less conductive. N-type silicon can be made by treating regular
silicon with arsenic, phosphorus, or antimony, and p-type silicon can be made by treating with
boron, gallium, or aluminum to add free electrons or holes. These free electrons and holes
are what allows current to flow through the material. Various electronic components including
the two types of transistors mentioned above can be built by layering n-type and p-type silicon.
Field Effect Transistors, pictured below in Figure 2, use an electric field to create a channel of
free electrons to allow current to flow through. When a voltage is applied to the gate, free
electrons are attracted to the surface of the p-type silicon, just below the gate. This creates a
bridge for current to flow through, thus making a voltage-controlled current source, and
turning the transistor on.
The Bipolar Junction Transistor consists of layers of silicon configured as p-n-p, or np-n as in Figure 3. When the transistor is turned off, no current flows into the base,
and there is an excess of holes in the p-type silicon. This prevents electrons
(current) from flowing from the emitter to the collector. When a voltage and current
are applied to the base, the emitter becomes negatively charged, and the collector
becomes positively charged, allowing electrons to flow from the emitter into the
base, and then from the base into the collector and out of the transistor. The
transistor is then a current source, and on.
Wayne 5
Works Cited
1. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/transistor
2. http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/416/426185/13fig2.gif
3. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_c1Lxc3Tfj20/TBmeljqthlI/AAAAAAAAAAc/_5LU76bLy3E/s
320/Untitled-1.jpg
4. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howtransistorswork.html