How Does a Transistor Work?

How does a transistor work? Our lives depend on this device.
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When I mentioned to people that I was doing a video on transistors, they would say "as in a transistor radio?" Yes! That's exactly what I mean, but it goes so much deeper than that. After the transistor was invented in 1947 one of the first available consumer technologies it was applied to was radios, so they could be made portable and higher quality. Hence the line in 'Brown-eyed Girl' - "going down to the old mine with a transistor radio."
But more important to our lives today, the transistor made possible the microcomputer revolution, and hence the Internet, and also TVs, mobile phones, fancy washing machines, dishwashers, calculators, satellites, projectors etc. etc. A transistor is based on semiconductor material, usually silicon, which is 'doped' with impurities to carefully change its electrical properties. These n and p-type semiconductors are then put together in different configurations to achieve a desired electrical result. And in the case of the transistor, this is to make a tiny electrical switch. These switches are then connected together to perform computations, store information, and basically make everything electrical work intelligently.
Special thanks to PhD Comics for awesome animations: bit.ly/16ZXcVY
And thanks to Henry Reich and Vanessa Hill for reviews of earlier drafts of this video.
Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Decisions

[@kenj0418]

Video: "A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track." Me: *Looks nervously at how old this video is now*

[@hdjekso7930]

@@KajoFox lmao amd is already at 7nm

[@elevenz367]

we need to start investing in grapes for the 2nm manufacturing process

[@GanjaLibre]

also when he says 22 nm, I think "wait a second, this is wrong! intel I9 is 10 nm and AMD Ryzen 3rd gen is 7!" then I saw the date of the video and realized we are really close to the limit

[@baphometpresidente4637]

me too 🤣 may be trump will extend it a bit to 20 years 😃

[@grozymalkozy6435]

*o boi*

[@andro293]

I waited my whole life to see Derek dressed as a sillicon atom

[@100Hasake]

Im no longer a furry, I am attracted to men dressed up as scientific concepts

[@hubb8049]

He's so hot 🥵

[@treasuretotrash2067]

I love silicon atoms. So hot

[@amishpatel124]

@@hubb8049 very

[@imperialeagle564]

No u didn't

[@deawinter]

10 years down the track sure does feel a lot closer now. Maybe an update on this one?

[@jonwalters485]

We still use transistors plenty even now, and because they have made such a huge impact on computing they will virtually always be used, but now we have been working on quantum computing, which is a whole new ballpark, but honestly he is on point. Moore's law has been recently shown to not hold up too well, but he raised a great point and with quantum computing, we will have the next age of computing soon.

[@karuki5791]

@@jonwalters485 hopefully we do and it gets accessible to the public with an ok price

[@josephwiebe4617]

Almost at ten years and the truth is, we don't have to make transistors smaller because we can't even make enough chips today...

[@diabl2master]

@@jonwalters485 "Because they made such a huge impact, they will virtually always be used" Sorry what? What about when we finally figure out something much better?

[@jonwalters485]

@@diabl2master The transistor is one of those things that cant be replaced. We can use something else in a new design like with quantum computing to get the same output, but the architecture is completely different. So my point was, that there will always be a use for the transistor. An example would be, even if we could have phones with superconductors in them, the ability to supercool the processors to make them work wouldnt be worth it. There are things the transistor is just amazing at doing, and things where the transistor just isnt up to par. The next beat thing will replace transitor logic there, but not where the transistor is doing a bang up job for a much lower cost. I hope that clears up what I was saying

[@pushkarkhanal4340]

From 22nm 10 years ago when this video was made, to IBM's new 2nm chip, the fundamental principle is still simple yet groundbreaking.

[@Skitzyzzy]

2NM??? SOON YOU PROBABLY WONT BE ABLE TO SEE IT WITH A MICROSCOPE!

[@Splarkszter]

​@@Skitzyzzy Lmao you can't see them with one 10 years ago eithe, visible light is over the 200nm mark. Only electron microscopes could.

[@ayushjha2345]

I understand both the points. Whether we talk about 22nm or 2nm, both are incredibly small to see. But in the future where 0.5nm or 0.01nm comes, i think they will apply a different unit. So no need to worry about that either.

[@TeTe76VTheChiken]

​@@ayushjha2345a silicium atom is about 0,2 nm so it seems irrealistic

[@ayushjha2345]

@@TeTe76VTheChiken thanks my friend for giving me good info. We found the limitation of how small measurement can reach. Appreciated.

[@mikecarroll757]

In this 6 minute video, I learned more about transistors, and understood better how they work, than in a semester of my electronics class.

[@RenaldoXhahu]

***** Same ahahah. I actually came here to study for my test tomorrow XD

[@mikecarroll757]

Renaldo Xhahu good luck :) I did the same thing for my final exam and did well so hopefully you do the same

[@RenaldoXhahu]

ahahaa thanks :)

[@wsnkurn]

***** ys me too! haha

[@EDUARDO12348]

+Mike Carroll but I wonder why it has to be that way. I think schools are failing to make their teachings relevant and so students are demotivated to learn. On the other hand, thinking about millions of transistor in a chip is mind blowing.

[@mostafahesham2115]

"A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track." well, we are in 2021 now so, we are facing this problem very soon

[@nicobugs]

Haven't we already reached the limit

[@oksowhat]

well, intel sucks for now still on 14nm+++++++++++++ for now amd is reaching 5nm but still far from what is the diffrance b/ insulator band and semicondoctor band about 1nm

[@Arjun-jm4ll]

@@oksowhat intels ice lake processors are 10nm

[@oksowhat]

@@Arjun-jm4ll Bhai 11th gen launch Nahi Dekha tha Maine tab

[@dododareal1218]

Im so excited for 2024!!! Hopefully Moore's law is gonna still workk

[@arthuranydonuts923]

Almost 10 year update: We essentially have 3 more years worth of improvements left. There are lots of improvement in terms of how power is delivered, changing shape of transistors (GAAFET) that will primarily give performance improvement. The 3 year delay is also mainly because there has been slowdown in improvement in recent years. After that, your galaxy phones and macbooks will essentially have same performance with every new release.

[@burakki6324]

lowk bittersweet. if the performance stays constant then the same parts last for longer and dont have to get a new say GPU every several years. also will force developers to optimize the best they can on the hardware they have, maybe in the process making old computers better.

[@vindicator879]

Once we reached the limit of cramping more transistors in the same amount of die area, chiplet design and 3d stacking technology is going to be necessary in designing future processors

[@pixelnobs]

Unless they make the physical chip bigger.

[@CripsyWaffles43]

No, the performence will still increase, just slower, every year big chip makers redisign the architecture to be more effecient. Look at intel, they were stuck on the 14nm node for several years, yet still had small improvements every year.

[@pixelnobs]

@@CripsyWaffles43 You cannot really make a transistor smaller than an atom, so theres a limit. (unless you use quantum computing)

[@Giaridos123]

oh man its been 10 years

[@michaelwarnecke3474]

"But they are both neutral" Adds switz plus-sign flag

[@michaelwarnecke3474]

@@muxite6035 and in the first world war. Its just ironic to use switzerland as a symbol for electrical neutrality when the symbol on thrir flag (also) stands for positive, non-neutral charge.

[@AcTheMace]

@@muxite6035 Yeah, sure, but it's still ironic in this context XD

[@mattmaloney5988]

Omg I didn't get that 🥴 I thought it was an error.

[@lyricsvaultla]

I was looking for this comment hahahahaha

[@vedranb87]

I just made the same comment! :D

[@sundarpranesh1146]

1:04 I was searching the for the 4th electron , and he turned around . I just lost it 😂

[@shriyanshpandey112]

You know silicon has tetrahedral geometry.

[@user-nk3ns1gq8w]

that's quite a brainy move

[@ggwp638BC]

2013: The current transistor size is 23nm 2021: IBM now working with 2nm chips

[@warbrain1053]

Deadline comming closer

[@Pukkeh]

There are no transistors with a 2 nm gate length. "2nm" refers to the process node, and doesn't correspond to any device dimension at all.

[@srikrishna2561]

Intel will produce 18A Processors.

[@imabot7495]

@@srikrishna2561 no one believe that roadmap, that was just for marketing and increasing funds. There will be delay

[@sherlockholmes4224]

😂😂😂

[@Stormgebieder]

"A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track." These days we are happy with any chip at all :D

[@mzshmkn]

This is basically my favorite video on explaining how transistors work. Especially as to how the electrons/holes flow in both on and off states. I've probably come back here at least once every semester when reviewing.

[@planetarynebulae5251]

3:21 Ironic that the Swiss flag could be interpreted as a plus sign.

[@100Hasake]

hows that ironic

[@tricksterdude7407]

Yo

[@eyescreamcake]

@@100Hasake You claim to be neutral, yet your flag shows you to be positively charged! SWITZERLAND EXPLAIN!

[@ibimssss]

@@eyescreamcake its because switzerland is next to austria which has a - so it needs to be a + to stay neutral

[@iaexo]

@@eyescreamcake ah yes the comment and replies... very similar to the ones from 4 years ago

[@auvishekdipta01]

It has been 10 years 💀

[@mister_80s]

5:35 "but that's not a problem until 10 years down the line" - video made 9 years ago

[@axelkakasho]

Oh boy oh boy

[@andrewdavies5722]

2013: "A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track. 2023: ...... 👀

[@scuida2730]

but what is the problem about not going smaler?

[@scuida2730]

@Sizwe Letanta Yes, but when its technical not possible to go smaller at this point, everyone has to find other ways to improve their products.

[@marcel151]

@@scuida2730 And that's what they are doing. The processes to get smaller transistors are taking more time, so manufacturers are trying to make chips faster in other ways. (See Intel Tick-Tock). The thing is that new outcoming chips are not as that more powerful than newer chips before. A fast CPU from 2015 is still good to use. Try to put that in perspective with CPUs from 1994 and 2000. The good thing about that is that you don't need a new computer every 2 years if you want to have powerful machines.

[@drakesmith471]

Lol, I was thinking just that. Me: “Ooh, were almost there.”

[@murarikarmhe2322]

@@scuida2730 bigger ones require more power than smaller ones

[@jamesconnor5840]

I'm an engineering student, this is better explained here than in my classes haha it's impressive. Keep up the good work. Love the atom suit by the way.

[@ioncasu1993]

im sorry for you.

[@nope110]

Its 4 years later so im assuming you already fail your class, but swap teachers if you can

[@aaronboonstra680]

The first time I watch this video I had very little knowledge about electricity and semiconductors, but as I've taken more classes through college,, especially since I'm getting a materials science degree, I've learned so much about these topics and I've gone back to this video and I'm amazed by how much more I know about semiconductors and electricity now.

[@georgeti5188]

Great videos, as always. One correction for accuracy: While the focus appears to be on transistors in digital circuits, in reality, all transistors are much more than switches. They have a full range of operation between 0 or "OFF" and 1 or "ON". This continuous range is how common analog signals like audio, raw sensor voltages, or radio waves are amplified.

[@ayoitscat]

This is a very important distinction. While most electronics are digital, it's still fundamental to understand the analog principles behind it

[@georgeti5188]

@@ayoitscat indeed! Technical discussions can be challenging to fully cover in a short video as there are often caveats to consider or as in this case, real world operation in circuit.

[@paulstelian97]

To be fair those continuous ranges aren't really used in the digital side of everything. For a DAC or ADC, which are used in basically all of what you mentioned, the intermediate voltage ranges of transistors are indeed something important.

[@elliotskunk]

i thought that the benefit of quantum computers was the analog nature of them, compared to the binary nature of transistors?

[@noorseenelmagre]

Ohhhh okay was gonna ask if they turn off so simply how so many common devices keep working for so long. How exactly do they get amplified though? I'm still finding that tricky to understand

[@tonirazz5565]

Little mistake: By applying a gate voltage, you don't really encourage electrons to jump out of the Source region. You attract electrons from the substrate underneath the gate, and repel holes at the same time. And as soon as there are more electrons than holes, this region behaves like an n-type layer (this is called inversion) , and that way, it connects Source to Drain.

[@CDTSimon]

You're right in that the holes get repelled from the gate electrode, however there are no free electrons in the p-Type so they can only be generated by increasing the temperature and therefore the energy of the electrons until they are able to break free... But this is only one option, the other option is for electrons from the n-type to tunnel through the barrier into the p-type, just like he said in the video ;)

[@mjtsquared]

Timothy Kimman no. You're referring to inversion. Tunneling is the problem Derek was talking about, since to keep up with Moore's law, transistors have to double their number inside a chip meaning they have to get smaller. However once they get too small that source to drain terminals are too close, due to quantum effects electrons can tunnel from one terminal to the other bypassing the entire transistor which will be a problem.

[@pedrohenriquecontente332]

This video is meant for 12-17 year-olds, man. It's just an oversimplification to get people interested on this topic

[@89RYGUY]

@@CDTSimon a little late to the comments but there are actually free electrons in the p-type region. They are minority carriers.

[@bluepainting5758]

Hi Toni, thanks for the correction, this is very helpful and is a very important detail !!

[@vahayara3405]

Those who are watching 10 year after

[@andycopeland7051]

I understood how to wire a translator but had never heard a great explanation of the HOW. I've always wondered. This was an awesome video! Your instruction and visuals made it really simple. Thank you for helping me finally scratch that itch.

[@Integralsouls]

In this 6 minutes , I could understand something that I couldn’t for almost 3 years reading books in high school and then college

[@manitro337]

Ikr?

[@sarahazman981]

It's amazing

[@Blaisem]

At that point it's more a poor reflection on you lol

[@binmahin7184]

This is really true dude

[@robertobonani4631]

@@Blaisem ahah hope he didn’t study computers at this point

[@cayde3907]

Derek, you have balls for making the video

[@vibodhj349]

Nice pun!

[@himeshviews7622]

@@vibodhj349 hehehe

[@DouglasLima]

6 balls

[@mrkshply]

Ok so it's been 10 years. Now what?

[@kimothefungenuis]

They're working on quantum computers

[@noahb.e.church]

5:35 "This will be a real problem for the future of transistors, but we'll probably only face that another 10 years down the track." Hello from 2024.

[@JonnyWisdom]

Fair play. I am an electrical engineer with a Bachelors and Master degrees. If I had videos like this whilst studying, life would have been so easy. It's nice to sit back and watch these videos knowing that my visualization and thinking was correct, if not hard earned.

[@David-ku6dm]

Respect for all people who learned without these videos

[@Avionics1958]

The BEST transistor demo I have come across on the web. WELL DONE !!! and thank you.

[@addipirnia1]

I couldn't agree more.

[@ahmeterhanarik]

Do not ever delete or remove this video. So friggin helpful!!!

[@RicardoKugo]

I have had a course about nano devices for 3 weeks and this 6 minute video taught me more than 12 hours of classes on the subject

[@kpiyer]

Loved it!! I am re-learning transistors after about 30 years! And I can see this is by far the BEST explanation I have seen/heard. Great job.. I am going to share it with many people!

[@ryanaiden]

1:18 rare footage of Derek's Aussie accent!!!

[@matthewrigby6089]

This video is dope! Jokes aside, this is the best explanation I've ever seen, and I've looked up what a transistor is many many times because I never really understood why they were so special.

[@happiness4919]

5:40 i am from future and Yes, we are nearing the limits of Moore's law. The number of transistors that can be packed into a chip has been doubling every two years for over 50 years. However, as transistors get smaller, it becomes increasingly difficult to control their behavior. At the 3 nm node, which is the current state of the art, transistors are already starting to show signs of quantum tunneling. This means that electrons can tunnel through the transistor's gate, even when they are not supposed to. This can lead to errors in computation. There are a number of ways that engineers are trying to extend Moore's law. One approach is to use new materials, such as carbon nanotubes or graphene. These materials have different electronic properties than silicon, and they may be able to be made smaller without the same problems with quantum tunneling. Another approach is to use new manufacturing techniques, such as extreme ultraviolet lithography. These techniques can be used to create smaller features on a chip, which can help to pack more transistors into a given area. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that Moore's law cannot continue forever. At some point, the physical limits of transistor technology will be reached. When that happens, we will need to find new ways to continue the trend of increasing computing power. Here are some of the challenges that are being faced in trying to continue Moore's law: The cost of manufacturing: As transistors get smaller, the cost of manufacturing them increases. This is because the manufacturing process becomes more complex and requires more precise equipment. The power consumption: As transistors get smaller, they also consume more power. This is because the electrons have less space to move around in, so they need more energy to do so. The heat dissipation: As transistors get smaller, they also generate more heat. This is because the electrons are moving faster and colliding with each other more often. This heat can damage the transistors and shorten their lifespan. Despite these challenges, there is still a lot of research and development being done in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. It is possible that we will find new ways to overcome these challenges and continue Moore's law for many years to come.

[@aimanadnan7405]

Its 7nm now in 2019 😱😱😱

[@cekpi7]

As mainstream yes, if i'm not mistaken, IBM did 5nm few years ago. EDIT: 5nm is already mainstream, Samsung has begun production this year and plans on going even lower (3.5nm).

[@Ikbeneengeit]

@@cekpi7 these nanometer ratings are just marketing buzzwords now.

[@cekpi7]

@@IkbeneengeitNot all of them, but yea, most CPU manufacturers use smaller number, even if small part of the chip is made using 7nm and other part using 12nm process, they will say it's 7nm chip.

[@edvardscacacielava7605]

@@cekpi7 2nm are in progress now

[@zacharyjefferies9965]

I'm here from the future, and we've achieved -3nm.

[@cryofpaine]

You accomplished in less than 7 minutes what my college professor wasn't able to do for months. The guy was smart, but couldn't teach worth crap. He'd show us a circuit diagram, toss an equation at us, and have us memorize it. It took me months to figure it out, on my own, just what a transistor was actually doing.

[@ThiagoCururu1]

Same here! That's why i love this channel!

[@890slay]

That's because he was filling in time till his term was up.

[@cinquine1]

Also because if you want to actually work with transistors this video isn't very useful, because it glosses over a ton of important stuff.

[@official-obama]

Thank you for clearing the ambiguity of what transistors do. No one else explained what turning on the base for each transistor did.

[@hassaan1670]

1:20 Never knew hippy Derek was the friend i needed

[@jakeengstrom2564]

I wanted to know more so I did a quick Wikipedia search, turns out Derek was completely wrong, transistor is a science fiction RPG game published by Super Giant games...don't always trust these science videos.

[@sumanacharya6576]

what do you mean by that!, transistor work the same way as explained.

[@memespdf]

*woosh*

[@benjamincormack3217]

I want to play it!

[@zacharytaylor190]

@@sumanacharya6576 r/whoosh

[@krishabm1]

Meanwhile from the game developers: "YeAh yOu'rE riGht Jake! wE shOulD NeVeR TrUsT tHeSe sCiEnCe vIdEos !"

[@TheBigFella]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together - greatly appreciated!

[@hadeelalomrani12]

I never understood transistors any better! thank you!!

[@d.e.c1609]

I have to agree, that this is the best analogy 'using' pictographs, that I've seen explaining transistors.

[@larazegers797]

You have taught me more in 1 video than an entire 50-minute lecture.

[@rkgki]

Thank you for this. I haven't read an explanation tying the molecular structure of silicon to the flow of electrons in a transistor before as clearly as this, and I've looked at several books on electronics. Especially the need for an insulator between the gate and the P type silicon.

[@---GOD---]

Dude I need more of this... a whole series explaining how a computer works... all the way from the electricity to watching you on my screen.

[@LarlemMagic]

We now have 14nm transistors in our products.

[@RaiZRiZ]

LarlemMagic Skylake has yet to be released mate.

[@brainandforce]

***** Broadwell is using 14 nm.

[@ernststavroblofeld1961]

LarlemMagic Why the silicon?

[@LarlemMagic]

Ernst Stavro Blofeld Dafaq you talking about?

[@LarlemMagic]

Ernst Stavro Blofeld Ok first, rude.:( Can you just expand the question?

[@nishant7452]

So my Tamagotchi is just a machine!? *I FAIL TO BELIEVE THAT! MY TAMAGOTCHI LIVES!*

[@a.f.nik.4210]

:P

[@AlephAce]

I love satire

[@Nutritional-Yeast]

Well, if it makes you feel better, man is just a machine in the literal sense. Governed by nano scale machines called molecules/proteins.

[@AlickzRider]

I'm never going to see silicon the same way again...

[@SW-2010]

I don't understand what your saying but..................YES I BELIEVE U!

[@ale_0921]

Complex concept explained in a very simple way. Thank you for your work.

[@cybersteel8]

2 years to go and hearing about the research into 3nm transistors now, Derek was almost spot on!

[@calebflenoury178]

This is such a great video. As an electrical engineer who is very weak in chemistry, this definitely helped me understand the processes of transistors.

[@samuraijosh1595]

You're kidding right..? You can't possibly become an electrical engineer without knowing this stuff beforehand.....

[@calebflenoury178]

@@samuraijosh1595 lol well I’m totally doing it rn. For ECE you don’t really need to know the chemistry behind the transistor. You just need to know how to use them in logic circuits.

[@kidzcannon]

you dont know how much time i spent to learn this, and then there is a 6 minute video that learned it from :O very good video :D

[@Legendaryknight2]

do you know anything about p-channels?

[@kidzcannon]

no whats that??

[@Legendaryknight2]

Well, I meant n-channel, p-channel is just this on the video. It would be the reverse of this, the p-type is on the drain and the source, while the n-type is on the middle (the n-channel). Apparently, this type of transistor turns off when there is a current to the gate. But I'm trying to find out how does it does it physically, like shown in this video.

[@DanielVoyles]

***** Yeah, I wish he had explained both. I am starting to learn more about electronics and would like to better understand the PNP transistor compared to the NPN similar to how he does in the video.

[@tyhutchinson9530]

this explained transistors better in 6 minutes than my college professor did in in a couple hour long lectures. Neat!

[@arifhossain1862]

This 6 minutes video is way better than 3 hours of academic class

[@MsTatli]

2019 - still the best video that explains transistors ...

[@doorhanger9317]

I really, really, want to understand exactly how these things work, but every time I go deep into electronics i just get more confused. I can do quantum mechanics, complex algebraical proofs involving imaginary numbers, but just not those stupid electrons. I watched this video, said OMG i get it, then saw comments saying that this is only a specific kind of transistor, so I looked up the other kind and now I'm busy wiping the brain off my screen.

[@BeeBumper]

+GEORGE witton I recommend the book Microelectronic devices by sedra smith, as far as I've seen it's the bible on semiconductors, this video talks about FET type transistors and really only discusses cutoff and saturation, or the switch type properties. It does nothing to explain the biasing and how that can yield three distinct modes of operation. It doesn't touch on the BJT at all. This video is strictly for semiconductors in chips, and it does a good job explaining why a FET conducts or doesn't but it's really just the surface of the topic and doesn't discuss at all current controlled bjt type npn or pnp devices.

[@RediceRyan]

+GEORGE witton Give me an example of a proof you can do involving imaginary numbers

[@ripsirwin1]

You probably sound really smart to stupid people

[@doorhanger9317]

Redice when i said "do" i meant understand, cope with etc. I understood the videos or books or whatever sources at the time, but I couldn't recall what happened in them exactly. I'm sorry if there was confusion, to be honest I probably should have worded it differently

[@hanniffydinn6019]

It's just a valve - a TRANSFORMING RESISTOR. It's not just a switch.

[@remusgogu7545]

It is so cool how Derek talks about the subject. He really likes this stuff. BTW, I wanted for a long time to understand how transistors work. Now I have. Thanks! 😉👍

[@fuffoon]

This channel answers lots of curiosities. Good stuff!

[@SyntekkTeam]

Great video. I'm studying Computer Engineering right now and I specifically working with semiconductor physics in one of my classes. I feel like I understand it a lot better after watching this video.

[@jasminevalentine1919]

What are you doing now?

[@SyntekkTeam]

@@jasminevalentine1919 haha, I'm a software engineer. I make video games (with star garden games) and work to promote Star Voting Thanks for asking!

[@ayior]

I'm in a rabbit hole of trying to understand how computers work on a physical levels today. This was an important puzzle piece, thanks!

[@Abou47Pandas]

@5:45 That ten years is almost up-- how is this lookin for the future of transistors now?

[@Ezis9]

Thanks again for making this; it really cleared up my understanding for a paper I'm working on.

[@spongmoid842]

+Ezis9 Same thing for me, cheers!

[@DrAElemayo]

I actually understand them now. Amazing! Now can you explain how these transistors work to do logic in a computer? (for example, add a couple of numbers.)

[@emmachia5203]

Best explanation of transistor I have come across! Thanks!

[@zzzxhrg]

I can only wish there would have been Veritasium when I was in high school. It only took me like what, 30 years to properly understand it. Still worth it, all of the journey. Oh and that German/Swiss Quantum scientist... Quite a highlight. Oh BTW, you said a problem we would have along the road in ten years, and it's been eight since this video, so maybe time for... An update?

[@vidanatural_oficial]

great video... so simple and so complete.

[@SmolPotatowo]

>we shouldn't have any problems till about 10 years down the track That was 6 years ago D:

[@angkasasuryaamerta5757]

9 year and we get from 22 nm to 1 nm It probably the perfect time for new episode for transistor. thankyou Mr. Derek

[@ssenthilnathan3]

Never really thought that I would rewatch this video for my exam, after 9 years in the same day it was released !!!!

[@TheRangeControl]

Thank you. :-) Now for a class on the emitter, collector, and whatever the third thing is.

[@JonathanAlmeida]

I think I understood this better solely because you dressed up as molecules.

[@user-qv4xl4ij9d]

Thank you - This was a great video. Im refurbishing a pinball machine & I have to replace some transistors on the motherboard. In a blog a guy said take a wire & touch one end to the top drain of the transistor & the other side to a ground & if the bumper fires, you found your problem. The transistor was the issue. Now I understand how & why that test worked = )

[@awaisakram2081]

10 years have completed, we have actually reached that level after invention of 2nm 3nm transistors. NOW quantum effects are creating problmes and solutions are also available to overcome that. This is evident of the amazing work of this channel. Hats off

[@IVAN3DX]

WHAT'S UUUUUUUP!?

[@tenorsaxophone2012]

Hi

[@nishant7452]

+IVAN3DX Sky which isn't blue

[@ankitaaarya]

in my room a fan which dont spin

[@alessioleone5322]

i legitly died when he yelled whaaaastuuuuup

[@Me-su6bx]

Hi

[@Ayplus]

You made an arguably confusing concept fairly simple. Wish I had this 5 years ago in my 2nd year EE course

[@Sawon90]

Best transistor explanation I ever have.

[@GavinKing_AKA_plumpNation]

Amazing job! You got to be the one that finally made me understand.

[@callumscott4001]

i learnt more about transistors in this six minutes than i have in three years studying technology, thank you very much for this video.

[@Legendaryknight2]

Can you guess how the p-channel works from this? I mean, he just explained the n-channel, right?

[@Reydriel]

My guess is that it's exactly the same, but the base has a negative voltage applied instead. Am I right? :D

[@georgeevangel3233]

Imagine the hard work those three who invented this transistor went through to get the first one working in a lab

[@sina_m_123]

That was a really great demonstration of this subject!

[@adendraper4321]

I've watched quite a few videos on transistors and this is the only video that has actually helped me to understand them

[@ElectroMathExp]

Great video as always ! btw ,the one u have explained is The Bipolar Junction transistor . while the one used in Computers is MOSFET ( metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor ) you can explain FET much easier than bjts . we used to use bjts in computers 40 years ago , the digital circuits based on bjts are known as TTL or transistor transistor logic . Now . we use CMOS digital circuits which stands for "Complementary mosfet ".

[@musakoca2684]

BJT isnt use base collector emitter ? he used source gate drain ? this terminology for mosfets?

[@Jhenoah]

That silicone suit next holloween!! great vid. had trouble visualizing the concept.

[@MetlDOME]

Holy crap that was awesome! Thank you for making this so simple to understand!

[@timespace6525]

thank you! you made it so clear, plus the conclusion, it's just perfect , wow!

[@Vicvines]

I refuse to use a computer that uses doping. I live a bad ass lifestyle which means no drugs or alcohol. Ok maybe alcohol, but no doping.

[@RyanGralinski]

if you drink alcohol your no better then someone who does dope don't judge the transistor it had a hard life

[@masync183]

+Ryan Gralinski Alcohol is so much worse for you than dope

[@RyanGralinski]

what no that's my point ...

[@henk6172]

Fun-fact: your body makes doping. Yeah, it depends on doping. This stuff tells bone marrow it has to produce red blood cells, which can transport oxygen. Without doping you wouldn't be alive. The reason doping gets used in cycling is that you can store more oxygen in your blood, and breathing is more efficient. This is also why it's so hard to check if someone used it, as the stuff will always be there.

[@johnmsingh7978]

Damn you hella INTRINSIC...

[@RexGalilae]

Is that a t-shirt of prof Martyn Poliakoff (the periodic table of videos one) at 7:00 ?

[@RexGalilae]

*0:07

[@yoda-ghost]

+Mohammed Zaid oh my god

[@DANGJOS]

Holy crap! How did I not notice that?

[@U014B]

Oddly enough, that was the first thing I noticed.

[@andrewpeter78]

Thanks this video helped so much in understanding solid state storage

[@MojoJOJO543]

I’m taking electronics and my prof pretty much refuses to explain transistors because I have not taken solid states yet. I am so grateful for this video

[@Inept_Kushal]

You explain me this better than my physics teacher. It comes in our exams.

[@timl2k11]

I want to walk around in a silicon atom costume, like all the time. Would be a great conversation starter.

[@andreasleonidou3620]

Finally understood how the transistor works. Thanks!

[@RespecterAlexander]

What a great Veritasium video!

[@KakashiBallZ]

I want that Poliakoff t-shirt!

[@MacAngem]

This should be presented at schools.

[@emilianohernandez9162]

THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING i love the quality and the explanation of this video

[@amigo4342]

an awesome wonderful explanation. thank you so much

[@farmerzocker3822]

"This problem we might face in about 10 years". This video is 8 years old...well, seems to get interesting now...

[@b-beluga4510]

Lol. But we have reached 4nm size.idk how small those could get.

[@mrebrahimiv]

That 10 years has passed guys, be ready for the problems to come

[@rusluck6620]

don't worry, we just have to find new ways to get faster

[@xtoo550]

Watching this video ten years down the road!