ABSTRACT
The basic concept of the bipolar junction transistor (BJT) was patented by Shockley in 1947 [1], but the BJT was not experimentally realized until 1951 [2]. Unlike the point contact transistor demonstrated earlier in 1947, the BJT can be completely formed inside the semiconductor crystal and thus proved more manufacturable, more reliable, and better suited for use in integrated circuits. In a real sense, the silicon (Si) BJT was the device that launched the microelectronics revolution and hence spawned the “information age.” Until the widespread emergence of CMOS technology in the 1980s, the BJT was the dominant semiconductor technology in microelectronics, and even today represents a significant fraction of the global semiconductor market, especially as it relates to best-of-breed analog, wireline, and radio frequency (RF) applications.
