Overview
A transistor is a small electronic device that amplifies a signal or can turn electricity on or off. Invented in 1948 at Bell Labs, transistors have become the key ingredient of all digital circuits, including computers.
A transistor consists of three layers of silicon or germanium semiconductor material. Impurities are added to each layer to create a specific electrical positive or negative charged behavior: There are essentially two basic types of point-contact transistors, the NPN transistor and the PNP transistor, where the N and P stand for negative and positive, respectively. The only difference between the two is the arrangement of bias voltages.
To understand how a transistor works, you have to understand how semiconductors react to an electric potential. Some semiconductors will be N-type, or negative, which means that free electrons in the material drift from a negative electrode (of, say, a battery it's connected to) toward the positive. Other semiconductors will be P-type, in which case the electrons fill "holes" in the atomic electron shells, meaning that it behaves as if a positive particle is moving from the positive electrode to the negative electrode. The type is determined by the atomic structure of the specific semiconductor material.
This 4-hour course provides a basic understanding of the physical concepts needed to understand the semiconductor fundamentals of semiconductor devices. The course is based entirely on Naval Education and Training Materials (NAVEDTRA 14178), Electricity and Electronic Training Series; Module-7 and covers Chapter 2 titled "Transistors".
The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty (20) questions at the end of this course to obtain PDH credits.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Define the term "transistor" and give a brief description of its construction and operation
- Explain how the transistor can be used to amplify a signal
- Name the four classes of amplifiers and give an explanation for each
- List the three different transistor circuit configurations and explain their operation
- Identify the different types of transistors by their symbology and alphanumerical designations
- List the precautions to be taken when working with transistors and describe ways to test them
- Understand how integrated circuits are constructed and the advantages they offer over conventional transistor circuits
- Name the two types of circuit boards
- State the purpose and function of modular circuitry
Course
Click on the following link to the PDF document to review the course material before taking the quiz for credit.
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