> You don't need the Dirac equation to understand semiconductor physics. Holes are not positrons, and I'm somewhat skeptical of the idea that if positrons had not been discovered or postulated, that the transistor would not have been invented.
The MOSFET was patented in 1925 by Julius Edgar Lilienfeld. I don't know if he knew about positrons.
>The MOSFET was patented in 1925 by Julius Edgar Lilienfeld. I don't know if he knew about positrons.
He would not have known anything about positrons. Dirac's major triumph was the prediction of positrons in 1928, before empirical evidence for them existed.
Thank you for reminding me about Lillienfield's patents. It is a good example of why the basic idea of transistors don't require even quantum mechanics (Schroedinger published his equation in 1926). Furthermore, since you need to toss in feedback in anycase, the need for accurately predicting the actual magnitude of gain, is significantly diminished for initial applications. If you read the Art of Electronics, you'll note that one of the things they point out is that you shouldn't base a circuit design that relies too heavily on a particular value of the amplification.
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> You don't need the Dirac equation to understand semiconductor physics. Holes are not positrons, and I'm somewhat skeptical of the idea that if positrons had not been discovered or postulated, that the transistor would not have been invented.
The MOSFET was patented in 1925 by Julius Edgar Lilienfeld. I don't know if he knew about positrons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOSFET .
>The MOSFET was patented in 1925 by Julius Edgar Lilienfeld. I don't know if he knew about positrons.
He would not have known anything about positrons. Dirac's major triumph was the prediction of positrons in 1928, before empirical evidence for them existed.
Thank you for reminding me about Lillienfield's patents. It is a good example of why the basic idea of transistors don't require even quantum mechanics (Schroedinger published his equation in 1926). Furthermore, since you need to toss in feedback in anycase, the need for accurately predicting the actual magnitude of gain, is significantly diminished for initial applications. If you read the Art of Electronics, you'll note that one of the things they point out is that you shouldn't base a circuit design that relies too heavily on a particular value of the amplification.