Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley: The Transistors Inventors Who Changed the Face of Technology

Transistors are an essential part of the electronic age, and the invention of the transistor was a crucial step in the development of the modern world. The history of the transistor is as fascinating as its impact has been, and while it has been changed and adapted over the years, the three names that are most commonly associated with it are Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley. This article looks at the incredible story behind the trio, and how their invention paved the way for the technology of today.

John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley are credited as the inventors of the point-contact transistor in 1947, which built upon the work of many others in the fields of physics and materials science. But the question is, how did these three heroes come together to create such a revolutionary device?

Bardeen and Brattain had been working together for a few years when Shockley joined the team in the early 1940s. He was a professor at Stanford University and was interested in electronics research, particularly in deciphering solid-state physics which is the basis behind the manufacture of electronic devices. The team's project was aimed at creating a field-effect device, a type of transistor that could be operated electrically, without the need for complex mechanical methods. Shockley was the driving force behind the project and provided the theoretical knowledge that Bardeen and Brattain used to make the project a reality.

The team was part of a group that had been assembled by Bell Labs, then a part of AT&T. After months of trial and error they discovered that they could create an amplifier using a combination of germanium and gold contacts, which they named the point-contact transistor. This was the birth of a device that would forever revolutionize the way computers are made and operated.

While this new invention was groundbreaking at the time, it was the team's work in 1947 that set the stage for the field effect transistor that enabled faster and more powerful computers to be developed in the decades to come. But even then, Bardeen and Brattain were not universally lauded for their work. Shockley had been credited with the invention of the transistor due to his leadership role in the project and his contribution of theoretical knowledge. While Bardeen and Brattain had done the actual research and invention, Shockley never fully credited them for their work.

This dispute resulted in the two scientists leaving Bell labs to create an independent research firm of their own, eventually founding the Fisk-Brattain Corporation in 1948. The new firm was successful for a time, but eventually folded when Bardeen and Brattain returned to Bell Labs in 1953.

In 1956, Bardeen and Brattain were able to gain a larger recognition for their roles when they were jointly awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics alongside Shockley. This recognition of their achievements put a stop to the disputing that had been occurring, and although the trio never completely reconciled, their invention of the point-contact transistor was one of the most revolutionary achievements of the modern age.

The invention of the transistor was the start of a domino effect which led to the development of the modern-day computer. Today, computer processors are incredibly powerful devices capable of performing billions of operations in a matter of seconds. This is all thanks to the efforts of John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley who, without realizing it, changed the course of history.

The transistor is just one of many revolutionary inventions of the 20th century. Even today, technological breakthroughs continue to shape how the world works, but none have the same impact as the transistor did in 1947, and with it Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley's names will forever be written in the story of humanity.