The transistor concept

Back to the ideas wall
Who

Julius Edgar Lilienfeld, a physicist born in Lemberg (Lviv) into a Jewish family, who first patented the field-effect transistor principle.

When

1925–1930

Where

Leipzig, Germany / United States

In the 1920s Julius Edgar Lilienfeld filed the first patents describing the field-effect transistor, the principle behind modern electronics, decades before working devices were built at Bell Labs in 1947. His concept underlies today's microchips. Lilienfeld was born in Lemberg (now Lviv) into a Jewish family.

Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.