Artifact Details

Title

Point-contact transistor prototypes

Catalog Number

102757320

Type

Physical Object

Description

The object consists of five pieces.

Per Jack Ward, Transistor Museum -
"Sylvania Power Transistor Prototypes (5 pieces), developmental germanium PNP alloy junction power transistors. Early to mid-1950s. Sylvania was one of several large 1940s/1950s vacuum tube manufacturers that invested heavily in early germanium transistor technology and later entered volume production of germanium transistors. Sylvania began experimentation with transistors in the late 1940s, starting with point contact technology and low power alloy junction types, but it was the successful development of germanium power transistors that became a major technology focus for Sylvania, with types such as the 2N68 and 2N95 produced in large quantities The units in this lot are examples of very unique developmental prototypes of germanium power transistor technology from Sylvania – of special interest is the use of heat dissipating metal strips bonded to a plastic case. This approach was never commercialized by Sylvania (although Raytheon did commercialize a similar case type) and represents a previously undocumented Sylvania transistor technology. Very rare - 1950s prototype power transistors from any company are uncommon, and the unique devices in this lot have not been previously documented. These units may be the only remaining examples of this historic Sylvania device type."

Date

ca. 1955

Manufacturer

Sylvania

Place Manufactured

US

Identifying Numbers

Other number 636 On three of the pieces.

Dimensions

overall: 1/4 in x 4 in x 7 in

Category

Component/Semiconductor/transistor

Collection Title

The Paul Sullivan Collection of Early Semiconductors

Credit

Gift of Pat Sullivan Belotti

Lot Number

X7957.2017