Etymology of the Word Thyristor
Etymology of the Word Thyristor
A thyristor is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating N and P-type material. The thyristor or Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) was proposed by William Shockley in 1950 and supported by Bell Laboratories, formerly known as AT&T Bell Laboratories. It was developed in 1956 by power engineers at General Electric (G.E.) led by Gordon Hall and commercialized by G.E. 's Frank W. "Bill" Gutzwiller (1). There are various types of thyristors; the type primarily depends on the number of layers and the particular connections to the layers. The word thyristor is a combination of the words “thyratron” and “transistor” (7).
The word thyratron was originally a trademark registered by The General Electric Company (G.E.) and invented by G.E. scientist Albert W. Hull in 1929. The word, Thyratron is a combination of the Greek prefix thyr- and suffix -tron. The prefix thyr- is from the Greek word thura (θυρα) meaning “door” or “gate”, and -tron being a Greek suffix indicating instrument (7). A thyratron is a type of gas-filled tube that has three electrodes and can be switched between an “off” state and an “on” state (2). It has been outdated, except for application involving high-power switching, by the thyristor.
The word transistor was coined by John R. Pierce of Bell Telephone Laboratories who needed a generic name for the new invention. "Semiconductor Triode", "Solid Triode", "Surface States Triode", "Crystal Triode" and "Iotatron" were all considered, but "transistor” was the winner of an internal ballot, due in part to the affinity that Bell engineers had developed the suffix "-istor" (4). The word transistor is a combination of “transfer” and “resistor” (7). While a single PN junction is useful, it also has its limitations. It can either conduct current or not, but can 't really control how much current it will conduct. A transistor can control the current because of the way the device operates to transfer
A thyristor is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating N and P-type material. The thyristor or Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) was proposed by William Shockley in 1950 and supported by Bell Laboratories, formerly known as AT&T Bell Laboratories. It was developed in 1956 by power engineers at General Electric (G.E.) led by Gordon Hall and commercialized by G.E. 's Frank W. "Bill" Gutzwiller (1). There are various types of thyristors; the type primarily depends on the number of layers and the particular connections to the layers. The word thyristor is a combination of the words “thyratron” and “transistor” (7).
The word thyratron was originally a trademark registered by The General Electric Company (G.E.) and invented by G.E. scientist Albert W. Hull in 1929. The word, Thyratron is a combination of the Greek prefix thyr- and suffix -tron. The prefix thyr- is from the Greek word thura (θυρα) meaning “door” or “gate”, and -tron being a Greek suffix indicating instrument (7). A thyratron is a type of gas-filled tube that has three electrodes and can be switched between an “off” state and an “on” state (2). It has been outdated, except for application involving high-power switching, by the thyristor.
The word transistor was coined by John R. Pierce of Bell Telephone Laboratories who needed a generic name for the new invention. "Semiconductor Triode", "Solid Triode", "Surface States Triode", "Crystal Triode" and "Iotatron" were all considered, but "transistor” was the winner of an internal ballot, due in part to the affinity that Bell engineers had developed the suffix "-istor" (4). The word transistor is a combination of “transfer” and “resistor” (7). While a single PN junction is useful, it also has its limitations. It can either conduct current or not, but can 't really control how much current it will conduct. A transistor can control the current because of the way the device operates to transfer
Cited: 1. Wikipedia contributors. "Thyristor." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013 2. Wikipedia contributors. "Thyratron." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. 3. Wikipedia contributors. "Transistor." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. 4. Owen, Edward L. “New Science—New Language,” Industry Applications Magazine, IEEE, Volume: 8, Issue: 4, July-Aug. 2002 5. Wikipedia contributors. "TRIAC." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. 6. “Etymology of thyristor.” Web. 11/24/2013