Customer Reviews

Crystal Fire: The Invention of the Transistor and the Birth of the Information Age (Sloan Technology Series)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent book on the history of the transistor. Not exactly light reading, but still an enjoyable read. As an engineer it is wonderful to learn the history of the one of the most important inventions of recent times. Really a well written book.

A thoroughly informative and engaging look at the development of semiconductor electronics. A bit of physics background will help you get through some of the discussions of atoms and energy levels, but even if you skim this material, you'll better understand how semiconductor physics came about and how practical products left the lab and became the microprocessor, memory, and other chips that power "appliances" we take for granted. All too often we think of inventions as springing forth in one burts of energy. This book shows the slow and not-always-steady developments that involved more people that you can imaging. I recommend this book highly to engineers and non-engineers alike.

Who invented the transitor? The answer to this question is in the book. What is the transitor? The answer is in the book. Understanding the answer is another, more personal, matter. Why was the transitor invented in the US, when it was? This facinating question is well explored in the book. One may be surprised to see the names of Hitler, Einstein, Salvador Dali and Picasso mentioned in the same breath with the inventors. Which co-inventor of the transistor went on to win a second Noble prize for superconductivity? The book does not play favorites among the three co-inventors but the work of John Bardine on the transistor and superconductivity is reason enough for the biography fan to read this book instead of watching the biography of the "Hamburger Barrons" on TV. The story is not an "easy read." But cheer up, there are great pictures.

The legend of Silicon Valley has long lived in the lore of techies everywhere. However, we are into the 4th generation since William Shockley setup camp in Palo Alto--so there are many who may not have heard the tale.

If you can answer the following:

1. Why did William Shockley (late of Bell Labs in New Jersey) choose Palo Alto as the site of his semiconductor venture?
2. What were the names of the traitorous eight?
3. What is the genealogy of spin-off's from Shockley semiconductor?
4. Why did Bell Labs attorneys insisted on omitting Shockley as a co-inventor on the original transistor patents?

Then you probably don't need to read this book. Otherwise, you might find it interesting.

In the '50s I tried to understand transistor theory but just couldn't get it. This book helped me to see the simple fact that text and teachers of the era didn't get it either. Finally, in the '60s at Fairchild R&D I did indeed get it, and a whole lot more. Not all that long before I joined Fairchild, the company had started shipping the world's first commercially available integrated circuits. From those days on up until reading this book there were still a lot of questions gnawing at me, detailed questions not only on the origin of the transistor and learnings associated with it but on how Shockley's name somehow miraculously started appearing with those of Brattain and Bardeen on its invention.

This book, Crystal Fire, answered my questions and a lot of other questions that I should have been asking. But if you read this book, be sure to fill in some of the gaps by searching out on the web a follow-up paper also written by this book's author, Michael Riorden, "The Silicon Dioxide Solution". In this paper the role of Jean Hoerni of the traitorous eight is finally made clear. His name doesn't often come up prominently in discussion of integrated circuit history, but without his invention of the planar process while at Fairchild, Fairchild would more than likely not even be mentioned today in IC history discussion.

So .. Crystal Fire.. Who'd have thought the authors of a book this interesting from a, "people who were involved" perspective, could also explain, so clearly in near layman's terms, solid state physics principles and knowledge progression from the early years on up through invention of the transistor - and beyond. It takes a good degree of topic knowledge to bring the complex to a level that is understandable to those who are not involved in the complex, while at the same time writing a truly good read.

Unlike a couple of other reviews, I don't think you have to be an engineer to read this book and enjoy it. It is very good science writing and some of the physics is better understood with some chemistry background but the story is riveting. I think it is fair to Shockley who later became controversial with his odd racial theories. The Second World War played a large part in the story and the role of technology in winning it is well done. Another book that does a good job with science is Prof: The Life and Times of Frederick Lindemann, which is about Churchill's science advisor and a hugely influential figure in science around the same time.

Myself, like thousands of others in the electronics field, had of course known about Shockley, Bardeen and Brattain; and had thought that their contributions to the transistor's invention followed that order. This book sets the record straight, and this fact alone makes it worthwhile reading.

As mentioned by other poster, the book does contain some technical mistakes, but one is not buying this book for the exact science; rather, it is the fascinating story of the people and events that led to the discovery and growth of one of the XX century's greatest inventions.

There are of course, many contributors and events to the art and science of semiconductors who are barely mentioned, but I feel that would cause the book to become unwieldy and tedious. Rather, it whets your appetite for follow-up reading on related subjects, like T.R.Reid's "the Chip".

Reading this book from the perspective of a retired history teacher and an amateur radio hobbyist might explain a bit of the 5 star rating. However, the book is well researched and well written.

I would say that anyone with a passing interest in how we got into this age of technology and information would find the book a great read!

The transistor is essential to modern life in America. Without its development I would not have been able to leave this review today. This is a look at how it developed and how it led to the start of the modern computer. My one complaint about this book is that it becomes far too bogged down in scientific jargon and lost the social history as it did so. The business discussion is mediocre at best especially given the delicate relations that occurred to fight over this chip. A much needed book but executed poorly.