TRANSISTOR MUSEUM�� �

Historic Transistor Photo Gallery� �

HISTORIC NOTES

Motorola established a transistor research operation in Phoenix in 1949, only one year after the first public announcement of the transistor by Bell Labs.� At that time, Motorola was a major manufacturer of communications, military and consumer electronics, and the intent was to develop in-house expertise in this promising new technology.� Large scale transistor production began in 1956, when the 2N176 germanium power transistor was introduced.� By January 1957, over 1,000,000 of these devices had been manufactured by Motorola � this represented 50% of all power transistors that had been made by all other companies at that time.� The primary market for the 2N176 was in automobile radios. These first �transistor-powered� radios were really hybrid technology, meaning that both vacuum tubes and transistors were used.� Initial cost for the 2N176 was as much as $26 per unit, but Motorola�s high volume and manufacturing prowess dropped the cost to $2 each by 1960.� The huge sales success of the 2N176 established Motorola as a major semiconductor manufacturer, and this historic transistor was still in production well into the 1960s, when silicon technology began to supercede germanium for most applications.� As shown above, the 2N176 used the now standard TO-3 case style, pioneered by Motorola in 1955. ���

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