You probably also have a working knowledge that a germanium diode or a Schottky diode will have a lower forward voltage, and you’ll know in turn that a bipolar transistor will begin to turn on ...

The four-layer diode was the key to William Shockley's plan to revolutionize AT&T's phone system. It was a great device in theory, but not in practice -- at least not at the time when Shockley ...