TL;DR
Credit for the transistor is disputed. Julius Edgar Lilienfeld patented field-effect transistor concepts in the 1920s, while Bell Labs researchers filed a well-known point-contact transistor patent in 1948; later developments including the MOSFET and early integrated-circuit work further diversified credit.
What happened
Historical records show multiple, overlapping inventions that contributed to the device we now call the transistor. Julius E. Lilienfeld filed a series of patents in 1925–1928 that described field-effect transistor concepts, including a thin-film MOSFET-like device; one of those filings began in Canada in October 1925 and a related U.S. patent was granted in 1930. Later, in 1948 John Bardeen and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs obtained a patent for a point-contact transistor. Other inventors and teams proposed and patented related transistor types: Herbert Mataré and Heinrich Welker produced a JFET-like device in 1948 (the Transistron), Oskar Heil filed a MOSFET-style patent in 1934, and Mohamed Atalla with Dawon Kahng filed MOSFET-related U.S. patents in 1960. Siemens engineer Werner Jacobi filed an early integrated-circuit patent in 1949. Historians and technical commentators continue to debate which contributions constitute the ‘‘invention’’ of the transistor and note evidence that Lilienfeld may have tested prototypes.
Why it matters
- Most modern transistors used in integrated circuits are field-effect devices; tracing their origin affects historical credit.
- Patent dates and descriptions shape legal and scholarly narratives about priority and invention.
- Understanding multiple contributions clarifies how incremental innovations across decades produced today’s semiconductor technology.
- Reexamination of archival materials can change teaching, museum exhibits, and honors tied to invention claims.
Key facts
- Julius E. Lilienfeld filed patents between 1925 and 1928 describing field-effect transistor concepts (U.S. patents cited as LIL1–LIL3).
- Lilienfeld's first related patent was initially filed in Canada on 22 October 1925 and a corresponding U.S. patent was granted in 1930.
- A 28 March 1928 filing by Lilienfeld described a thin-film device akin to a MOSFET.
- John Bardeen and Walter Brattain (Bell Labs) filed U.S. Patent 2524035 for a point-contact transistor on 26 February 1948.
- Herbert Mataré and Heinrich Welker filed a 1948 French patent describing a multi‑electrode crystalline device often called the Transistron (JFET-like).
- Oskar Heil filed a 1934 patent (GB439457) that outlined MOSFET-type ideas.
- Mohamed Atalla and Dawon Kahng filed U.S. patents on 3 October 1960 for semiconductor devices with dielectric coatings, a variant of the MOSFET.
- Werner Jacobi (Siemens) filed a 1949 German patent considered an early integrated-circuit concept with several transistors on one substrate.
- Technical reconstructions and some historical scholarship suggest Lilienfeld may have built and tested devices, but the historical record remains debated.
What to watch next
- Centennial reflections and technical notes marking Lilienfeld's 1925 filings (references note a 2025 centennial technical note).
- Ongoing archival research and scholarly reassessments of early patents, laboratory notes and reconstructions that could refine the timeline and credit.
- not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- Transistor: A semiconductor device that can amplify or switch electronic signals; a foundational component of modern electronics.
- Field-Effect Transistor (FET): A transistor that controls current via an electric field applied to a gate terminal, modulating conductance in a channel.
- MOSFET: A metal–oxide–semiconductor FET that uses an insulating oxide layer between gate and channel; widely used in modern integrated circuits.
- Point-contact transistor: An early transistor type in which two metal contacts are pressed against a semiconductor to produce amplification; associated with Bell Labs’ 1948 work.
- Patent: A legal document granting exclusive rights to an inventor for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of an invention.
Reader FAQ
Who invented the transistor?
There is no single uncontested inventor. Lilienfeld patented FET concepts in the 1920s; Bell Labs researchers patented a point-contact transistor in 1948; subsequent inventors produced JFET, MOSFET and integrated-circuit innovations.
Did Lilienfeld really describe a field-effect transistor?
Yes — the source cites Lilienfeld patents from 1925–1928 that describe field-effect transistor ideas, including a thin-film MOSFET-like device.
Did Lilienfeld build working devices?
Some historical work and experimental reconstructions suggest he likely built and tested devices, but the record remains debated.
Was the Bell Labs transistor the first transistor?
Bell Labs produced a demonstrable point-contact transistor in 1948 and secured a patent for it; whether this alone constitutes the invention is part of the historical dispute.
Are modern transistors based on Lilienfeld’s ideas?
The source notes that today almost all transistors are field-effect devices, and Lilienfeld’s patents described field-effect concepts that resemble modern FETs.
1 Lilienfeld's citizenships. In 1882, Julius E. Lilienfeld was born in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire in the partially German-speaking city of Lemberg (now Lviv in Ukraine). He was a professor in…
Sources
- Who invented the transistor?
- Julius Lilienfeld And The First Transistor
- Bell Labs (Who Really Invented The Transistor?)
- 2025: 100th anniversary of the transistor (Lilienfeld, 1925)
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