The numerous transistor

The transistor – possibly one of the simplest inventions. It is, after all, only an electronic switch. However, its power lies in numbers: the more you have, the more you can achieve. Transistors have been instrumental in the digital revolution that has transformed the way information is used in the modern world. Without them, the computers and microelectronic devices which shape our lives could not exist.

Since its invention in 1947, transistors have been shrinking and becoming more numerous. Initially they were created as individual components until the benefits of integrated circuits became clear and microscopic transistors began to be etched onto silicon wafers. Recently, the emerging field of nanotechnology has seen transistors created out of single molecules.

The numbers, though, are something else. With transistors – more is always better, and this type of return has led to astonishing figures. Since the 1970s transistor production has grown exponentially in line with Moore’s Law, doubling every 18 months. In 2003, the number of transistors shipped was estimated to be 10^18, approximately equal to the insect population of the planet. If this growth continues, by 2028 transistors could outnumber all the grains of sand on all the worlds beaches put together, or all of the stars in the observable universe. By the end of this century, they could outnumber all of the bacteria on the planet – by ten million to 1: a staggering 10^37 transistors. Surely this fact more than any other argues that transistors are the world’s best patented invention.

Submitted by: Paul Shepherd