The Solid-State Century
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Cover; The Solid-State Century; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; The Solid-State Century; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From the Editors; The Solid-State Century; by Rennie; 1 Page(s)

Getting Small but Thinking Big

Fifty Years of Heroes and Epiphanies; The Solid-State Century; by Zorpette; 1 Page(s)

Human beings crave legends, heroes and epiphanies.

Part 1: Introduction; The Solid-State Century; by NA; 1 Page(s)

The Transistor

Birth of an Era; The Solid-State Century; by Riordan, Hoddeson; 6 Page(s)

In December 1947 three researchers demonstrated a device that would change the way humankind works and plays

The Transistor; The Solid-State Century; by Rockett; 4 Page(s)

This article, which appeared in the September 1948 issue of Scientific American, offered one of the earliest surveys of transistor technology. It is reprinted here in its original form.

Computers from Transistors; The Solid-State Century; by Staff Editor; 3 Page(s)

What's Inside a Computer; How a Chip Is Made; How a CMOS Transistor Works

Diminishing Dimensions; The Solid-State Century; by Corcoran,Zorpette; 8 Page(s)

The Dimensionality of a material can be reduced by sandwiching it between two layers of another material that has higher-energy electrons.

How the Super-Transistor Works; The Solid-State Century; by Baliga; 8 Page(s)

The insulated gate bipolar transistor is transforming the field of power electronics

Where Tubes Rule; The Solid-State Century; by Riezenman; 2 Page(s)

In a solid-state world, vacuum tubes are still secure within some very interesting strongholds

The Future of the Transistor; The Solid-State Century; by Keyes; 7 Page(s)

As the transistor has grown smaller and cheaper, engineers have scoffed at theoretical barriers to its progress - so far

Integration:The Transistor Meets Mass Production; The Solid-State Century; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Integration: The Transistor Meets Mass Production

From Sand to Silicon: Manufacturing an Integrated Circuit; The Solid-State Century; by Barrett; 6 Page(s)

Tiny silicon chips make modern digital technology possible. Here's how the chips themselves are made

Profile: The Law of More; The Solid-State Century; by Gibbs; 2 Page(s)

Gordon E. Moore co-founded two high-tech titans but is best known for an eponymous law that may finally be nearing its limit

Technology and Economics in the Semiconductor Industry; The Solid-State Century; by Hutcheson, Hutcheson; 8 Page(s)

Although the days of runaway growth may be numbered, their passing may force chipmakers to offer more variety

Toward Point One; The Solid-State Century; by Stix; 6 Page(s)

Gigabit chips are now in the laboratory. But the critical technology needed for manufacturing smaller circuits confronts diminishing returns.

Profile: Tackling Tyranny; The Solid-State Century; by Goldstein; 2 Page(s)

Jack Kilby, one of the inventors of the integrated circuit, recalls a hot summer in Dallas that changed the electronics industry forever

The Semiconducting Menagerie; The Solid-State Century; by Amato; 2 Page(s)

Silicon may be "God's gift," but to see the light, you'll need gallium arsenide, or indium phosphide, or aluminum indium gallium phosphide, or....

The Revolution Continues; The Solid-State Century; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

The Revolution Continues

Microprocessors in 2020; The Solid-State Century; by Patterson; 3 Page(s)

Every 18 months microprocessors double in speed. Within 25 years, one computer will be as powerful as all those in Silicon Valley today

Plastics Get Wired; The Solid-State Century; by Yam; 7 Page(s)

By tailoring the electrical properties of conducting polymers, researchers hope to render electronics a bit more organic

Quantum-Mechanical Computers; The Solid-State Century; by Lloyd; 7 Page(s)

Quantum-mechanical computers, if they can be constructed, will do things no ordinary computer can

The Future of the PC; The Solid-State Century; by Friedlander, Roetter; 6 Page(s)

An item that looks like one of today's laptops will be a portal into a personal network with phenomenal organizational skills

Fast Facts About The Transistor; The Solid-State Century; by Petricic; 1 Page(s)