What Are Semiconductors?
While many people may have heard the term “semiconductor’, not everyone may really understand what a semiconductor is. I have always remembered a semiconductor as a material that sometimes conducts electricity, and sometimes does not. This unique property allows them to act as the foundation for devices like transistors, diodes, and microchips. Semiconductors have become essential components to daily life, from smartphones and computers to refrigerators and cars. With that being said, semiconductors have not always existed in the way they do today. It has taken decades of innovation, research, and progress to get to the level of convenience we see in modern society. One such development was the invention of the transistor in 1947 by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley. The transistor was deemed so revolutionary that it won the trio a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956.
Life Before Semiconductors
To learn more about what life was like before semiconductors became prevalent, I interviewed my grandparents who grew up in a world that looked quite different from the one we know today. My grandfather Raphael and my grandmother Consuelo grew up in a small town in Mexico during the 1950’s and 60’s. While the transistor had already been created, modern technology had not yet become widely adapted, especially in their rural town where technology lagged behind more populated and developed cities.
One of my immediate questions was what communication looked like before modern cellphones. “There was one phone for the entire town to share,” my grandmother told me. While the town was small, the idea of sharing a single phone among so many people was shocking. My grandparents explained that because everyone had to use the same line, they often had to make prior arrangements. A telephone operator would call the person they wanted to reach, letting them know that my grandmother wanted to speak at a specific time. It was like making a reservation: when the time came, she had her allotted slot to talk to the person she wanted. Alternatively, if you wanted to reach someone such as a family member in a different city, you could send a letter. This came with the downside of taking days or weeks for your letter to be delivered and double that to get a response.. So while instant communication existed, it was not in the form of a pocketable smartphone that allows your average person to communicate across the globe.
Another question I asked was how simple tasks were done before modern appliances such as washers and dryers or refrigeration. My grandmother recounted how back then, things were done differently. For example, one thing she told me was that many people would acquire their milk from the source, not buy it from the store and keep it cool in a refrigerator. Additionally, at the time not every home had reliable access to running water or electricity, let alone a washer and dryer. Consequently, they would use the nearby river to wash clothes and then simply hang it out to dry. While this didn't seem too out of the ordinary, it serves as a reminder how much better the quality of life is today. We live in a world where the required effort for daily life has been greatly reduced, allowing us more time to do what we want or to get more value out of a single day.
Technological Advancement: The Transistor
The invention of the transistor marked the beginning of a technological revolution. Before the transistor, electronics relied on vacuum tubes. For those unfamiliar, the vacuum tube was a large glass cylinder that controlled the flow of electricity. While they did work, vacuum tubes were also very large, fragile, and generated lots of heat. In The Rise of the MOS Transistor, Ross Basset described this innovation as a catalyst to the development of smaller, faster, and more reliable electronic devices.
The invention of the transistor then led to the invention of integrated circuits or microchips, which allowed thousands or even millions of transistors to be packed into a single small device. These advances led to personal computers, mobile phones, and eventually the internet. Frank Rockett, in his 1948 article The Transistor, highlighted how this small invention could dramatically reduce the size and cost of electronic devices. 77 years later it has become apparent that his prediction came true. My grandparents could hardly imagine these developments during their youth, when computing and communication technology were mostly inaccessible in rural areas.
Social Impact
The impact of semiconductor devices on society has been massive. Daily life is more convenient, communication is instantaneous, and access to information is virtually limitless. Transportation benefits from electronics in vehicles, traffic systems, and navigation tools. Healthcare has been transformed by imaging devices, diagnostic tools, and wearable monitors. One of the most obvious impacts on society has been the internet and its ability to connect people around the world from their devices. It stands as one of the most societal altering creations, and has been made largely possible due to the developments in the field of semiconductors and transistors.
However, there have definitely been some unintended consequences that came with these developments. Speaking with older folks has oftentimes revealed a common sentiment, that despite having the ability to connect from anywhere, people do not seem as connected as when they were young. This perspective is a reminder that while technology can bring incredible convenience, it can also alter the way we build and maintain relationships. The challenge, then, is not only to keep advancing our tools but also to find ways of using them that preserve the sense of community and closeness that older generations remember.
Conclusion
The invention of semiconductors has undoubtedly revolutionized our world. They shape nearly every industry and aspect of modern life, from communication to transportation to the machines we rely on daily. Hearing from my grandparents about a time before these devices were widespread highlights just how far we have come through advances in semiconductors and electrical engineering as a whole. While the 21st century brings its own challenges, I believe these developments represent a tremendous step forward in human history. Reflecting on their impact not only gives me a deeper appreciation for modern life but also strengthens my motivation to continue learning about what electrical engineering can achieve.
About the author: Miguel Avalos is an undergraduate student in Electrical Engineering at the University of California Merced. His academic interests include semiconductor devices, the power grid, and energy systems.
Sources
Bassett, Ross. “New Technology, New People, New Organizations: The Rise of the MOS Transistor, 1945-1975.” Business and Economic History, vol. 27, no. 1, 1998, pp. 1–7. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23703051. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
Rockett, Frank H. “The Transistor.” Scientific American, vol. 179, no. 3, 1948, pp. 52–55. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24945887. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
Miller, Chris. “The History of U.S. Industrial Policy toward Semiconductors.” Rewire: Semiconductors and U.S. Industrial Policy, Center for a New American Security, 2022, pp. 4–8. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep43411.5. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
