The Effect of Surface Treatments on Point-Contact Transistor Characteristics

774 776 781 783 783 785 786 786 789 789 789 790 792 794 794 795 796 796 797 797 801 804 805 806 807 808 809 809 810 The point-contact transistor, on the basis of several years use in the field in Bell System applications, has proved itself to be rugged and dependable. For certain military applications, a lasting demand exists for high-speed point-contact transistors. The adaptation of cartridge type units to a hermetically sealed structure has been completed, with further benefits to reliability. To date, the point-contact transistor is one of the few transistors to successfully pass all military specifications for shock, vibration, and high acceleration. Thus, although there are at present limitations to the electrical characteristics that can be built into a point-contact transistor which make it unsuitable for use in some switching circuits, there are many applications in which this type of transistor can give consistent and reliable performance. In fact, applications exist wherein the specific requirements are uniquely satisfied by the point-contact transistor. However, the basic operational principles of this kind of device are not as well understood as would be desirable for facilitating developmental studies for manufacture. Although considerable effort has been