"Introduction to Semiconductor Devices" by Widlar

Anand P. Paralkar

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Sep 19, 2014, 12:20:05 AM9/19/14

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Hello everyone,

Has anybody read the book "Introduction to Semiconductor Devices" by
Robert J. Widlar (Bob Widlar)?

I am enthused by the comments about this book by Bo Lojek, (author of
History of Semiconductor Engineering) that:

"he was more artist than an engineer ..." and more importantly,

"The very first Widlar publication was a crispy clear textbook
"Introduction to Semiconductor Devices" (Fig 8.9). When reading this
text, I realized why Bob Widlar was so successful in his future work.
He had an extraordinary capability to simplify complex problems."

Would like to know your opinion about this book and ANY INFORMATION
WHERE I CAN BUY THIS BOOK. (No amount of Googling shows where this book
is available. No reviews or previews available.)

Regards,
Anand

Chris Jones

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Sep 19, 2014, 12:36:47 AM9/19/14

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Is this what you are after?
http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-01.acc.pdf

Bill Sloman

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Sep 19, 2014, 12:45:23 AM9/19/14

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If Amazon doesn't list it - and it doesn't - it's probably totally
unavailable. Widlar was an US Air Force instructor when he wrote it - so
they are the likely publishers and owners of the copyright, and it was
written for the Air Force technicians Widlar was instructing, so the
level isn't going to be all that high.

Widlar's real output was his applications notes for National
Semiconductor and his papers in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State
Circuits. They are all well-worth reading.

They presumably were produced under pressure from the marketing
department. Widlar doesn't seem to have been all that enthusiastic about
writing up what he did. He could afford to let his integrated circuits
do his advertising for him.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

miso

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Sep 19, 2014, 3:16:53 AM9/19/14

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Chris Jones wrote:

>
> Is this what you are after?
>
http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-01.acc.pdf

I was going to say that was really brief, but you can ++ the last digit to
get the next chapter.

http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-02.acc.pdf

...

http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-06.acc.pdf

Anand P. Paralkar

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Sep 19, 2014, 5:04:36 AM9/19/14

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Thank you Chris Jones and mi...@sushi.com! Thanks a tonne!! Didn't know
one has to look there. :)

Regards,
Anand

Anand P. Paralkar

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Sep 19, 2014, 5:06:21 AM9/19/14

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On 19-09-2014 10:06, Chris Jones wrote:

Anand P. Paralkar

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Sep 19, 2014, 5:09:59 AM9/19/14

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Thank you Bill. Was so curious to see what and how he would write.
Just to see if he had a certain approach to semiconductors.

Will search for his App. Notes too.

Regards,
Anand

Dennis

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Sep 19, 2014, 9:54:41 AM9/19/14

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In Python (watch out for the line wrap on the wget call)

import re
import socket
import urllib
import subprocess

for book in range(1,6):

subprocess.call(['wget','http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-0'+str(book)+'.acc.pdf'])

George Herold

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Sep 19, 2014, 10:38:39 AM9/19/14

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On Friday, September 19, 2014 3:16:53 AM UTC-4, miso wrote:
> Chris Jones wrote:
>
>
>
> >
>
> > Is this what you are after?
>
> >
>
> http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-01.acc.pdf
>

> I was going to say that was really brief, but you can ++ the last digit to
> get the next chapter.
>

Excellent, thanks for the hint miso.

George H.

Joe Gwinn

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Sep 19, 2014, 3:14:02 PM9/19/14

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In article <lvgcd9$iom$1...@dont-email.me>, Bill Sloman

<bill....@ieee.org> wrote:

> On 19/09/2014 2:20 PM, Anand P. Paralkar wrote:
> > Hello everyone,
> >
> > Has anybody read the book "Introduction to Semiconductor Devices" by
> > Robert J. Widlar (Bob Widlar)?
> >
> > I am enthused by the comments about this book by Bo Lojek, (author of
> > History of Semiconductor Engineering) that:
> >
> > "he was more artist than an engineer ..." and more importantly,
> >
> > "The very first Widlar publication was a crispy clear textbook
> > "Introduction to Semiconductor Devices" (Fig 8.9). When reading this
> > text, I realized why Bob Widlar was so successful in his future work. He
> > had an extraordinary capability to simplify complex problems."
> >
> > Would like to know your opinion about this book and ANY INFORMATION
> > WHERE I CAN BUY THIS BOOK. (No amount of Googling shows where this book
> > is available. No reviews or previews available.)
>
> If Amazon doesn't list it - and it doesn't - it's probably totally
> unavailable. Widlar was an US Air Force instructor when he wrote it - so
> they are the likely publishers and owners of the copyright, and it was
> written for the Air Force technicians Widlar was instructing, so the
> level isn't going to be all that high.

By US Copyright Law, such documents cannot be copyrighted, so obscurity
is the issue. Turned out that The Computer Museum had a copy, although
it may be incomplete.

Joe Gwinn

Phil Hobbs

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Sep 19, 2014, 4:08:27 PM9/19/14

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Interesting read. To save others the trouble, here's a combined version
in djvu format, OCRed. http://electrooptical.net/OldBooks.html

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

Jim Thompson

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Sep 19, 2014, 4:36:19 PM9/19/14

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John Miles, KE5FX

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Sep 19, 2014, 6:27:30 PM9/19/14

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On Friday, September 19, 2014 1:36:19 PM UTC-7, Jim Thompson wrote:

> I compressed it into a single v4 PDF if anyone wants it in
> that format... just ask.

Could you upload it to http://www.ko4bb.com/manuals/ ? Just hit the Upload File button near the top of the page.

Not sure what category he will put it in, probably the "App Notes" folder, but at least it'll be available.

-- john, KE5FX

RobertMacy

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Sep 19, 2014, 7:49:55 PM9/19/14

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On Fri, 19 Sep 2014 13:36:19 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-Th...@on-my-web-site.com> wrote:

>> ...snip...

> I compressed it into a single v4 PDF if anyone wants it in that
> format... just ask.
>
> ...Jim Thompson

Hey, great! would you send it to my gmail email address? I got copies, but
they don'topen with old Adobe's.

I really liked Motorola's textbook. How does Widlar's compare?

Jim Thompson

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Sep 19, 2014, 7:57:14 PM9/19/14

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On Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:49:55 -0700, RobertMacy
<robert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Fri, 19 Sep 2014 13:36:19 -0700, Jim Thompson
><To-Email-Use-Th...@on-my-web-site.com> wrote:
>
>>> ...snip...
>> I compressed it into a single v4 PDF if anyone wants it in that
>> format... just ask.
>>
>> ...Jim Thompson
>
>Hey, great! would you send it to my gmail email address? I got copies, but
>they don'topen with old Adobe's.

Will do. I've taken to making all my PDF's v4 compatible... just
about anybody can read them.

>
>I really liked Motorola's textbook. How does Widlar's compare?

Pretty much like Phillips... useless for circuit designers ;-)

Jim Thompson

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Sep 19, 2014, 8:42:31 PM9/19/14

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On Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:49:55 -0700, RobertMacy
<robert...@gmail.com> wrote:

Well! It seems I don't have your gmail address. Send me something
and I'll reply with the Widlar tome.

Clifford Heath

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Sep 19, 2014, 9:58:03 PM9/19/14

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On 19/09/14 23:54, Dennis wrote:
> subprocess.call(['wget','http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-0'+str(book)+'.acc.pdf'])

Or without python, just shell:

for i in 1 2 3 5 6; do curl -O
http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-0$i.acc.pdf;
done

grep 'egg sucking' <replies >/dev/null

;)

boB

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Sep 19, 2014, 10:45:55 PM9/19/14

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On Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:08:27 -0400, Phil Hobbs
<pcdhSpamM...@electrooptical.net> wrote:

Thanks for the combined version.

So I notice that he liked to use PNPs a lot.

Not sure if I knew or not, but, when those guys at Bell Labs made the
first transistor, was it a PNP or an NPN type ?

boB

mrob...@att.net

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Sep 19, 2014, 11:52:25 PM9/19/14

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Clifford Heath <no....@please.net> wrote:
> On 19/09/14 23:54, Dennis wrote:
>> subprocess.call(['wget','http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-0'+str(book)+'.acc.pdf'])
>
> Or without python, just shell:
>
> for i in 1 2 3 5 6; do curl -O
> http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-0$i.acc.pdf;
> done

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main(void)
{
unsigned char i;

unsigned char command[] = "wget http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-01.acc.pdf";

for(i=0;i<6;i++)
{
system(command);
(command[84])++; /* probably don't need these parens */
}

return 0;
}

Matt Roberds

Tom Gardner

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Sep 20, 2014, 4:54:35 AM9/20/14

to

Or "without" shell:
wget http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/
on the basis you might find the other files in that directory interesting.

I'll now go and wash my hands with soap.

Tom Gardner

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Sep 20, 2014, 5:01:15 AM9/20/14

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On 20/09/14 03:45, boB wrote:
> So I notice that [Widlar] liked to use PNPs a lot.

ISTR that many 60s/early70s books did. A neuron relating
to "ease of manufacture" is firing, but the SNR is too low
for comfort.

The period described by Widlar is almost like the
"Cambrian explosion" in that he describes some odd
structures that seem to have died out without leaving
a trace.

rickman

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Sep 20, 2014, 5:27:24 AM9/20/14

to

I seem to recall the first one was point contact so I believe they only
form PNP transistors.

--

Rick

RobertMacy

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Sep 20, 2014, 9:19:51 AM9/20/14

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On Fri, 19 Sep 2014 17:42:31 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-Th...@on-my-web-site.com> wrote:

>> ...snip...
>

> Well! It seems I don't have your gmail address. Send me something
> and I'll reply with the Widlar tome.
>
> ...Jim Thompson

It's listed here, but with you using a different access you may not have
it available., so will do.

Clifford Heath

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Sep 20, 2014, 10:22:34 AM9/20/14

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On 20/09/14 18:54, Tom Gardner wrote:
> On 20/09/14 02:58, Clifford Heath wrote:
>> On 19/09/14 23:54, Dennis wrote:
>>> subprocess.call(['wget','http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-0'+str(book)+'.acc.pdf'])
>> Or without python, just shell:
>> for i in 1 2 3 5 6; do curl -O
>> http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102718662-05-0$i.acc.pdf;
>> done

> Or "without" shell:
> wget http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/
> on the basis you might find the other files in that directory interesting.
> I'll now go and wash my hands with soap.

Works in this case, but not if there's a bad index or unreadable
directory, and I've found that such sites often dump hundreds of files
in one directory.

Anand P. Paralkar

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Oct 16, 2014, 10:51:12 PM10/16/14

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On 19-09-2014 10:06, Chris Jones wrote:

gwa...@boysmindbooks.com

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Jun 2, 2017, 1:44:17 PM6/2/17

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The title was not actually "Introduction to Semiconductor Devices". That was just the title of the first section of his six-section course, which is now available here:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/robert-widlar/transistors-the-us-air-force-in-service-training-course/paperback/product-23191446.html

rickman

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Jun 2, 2017, 5:21:49 PM6/2/17

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Is that the same material as this?

http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102718662

--

Rick C

whit3rd

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Jun 3, 2017, 6:27:41 PM6/3/17

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On Friday, September 19, 2014 at 7:45:55 PM UTC-7, boB wrote:

> >>> On 19/09/2014 14:20, Anand P. Paralkar wrote:

> >>>> Has anybody read the book "Introduction to Semiconductor Devices" by
> >>>> Robert J. Widlar (Bob Widlar)?

> So I notice that he liked to use PNPs a lot.
>
> Not sure if I knew or not, but, when those guys at Bell Labs made the
> first transistor, was it a PNP or an NPN type ?

Early publications like
"Hole Injection in Germanium- Quantitative Studies and Filamentary Transistors"
by William Shockley et al., Bell System Technical Journal V. 28, July, 1949

referred to the Germanium as N-type, so it'd be a PNP transistor.
Later, when practical devices were produced, the metallurgy preferred
P-type (because, ISTR, indium was a convenient alloy dopant material).

"Introduction to Semiconductor Devices" by Widlar - Anybody Has This Book?

Anand P. Paralkar

Chris Jones

Bill Sloman

miso

Anand P. Paralkar

Anand P. Paralkar

Anand P. Paralkar

Dennis

George Herold

Joe Gwinn

Phil Hobbs

Jim Thompson

John Miles, KE5FX

RobertMacy

Jim Thompson

Jim Thompson

Clifford Heath

boB

mrob...@att.net

Tom Gardner

Tom Gardner

rickman

RobertMacy

Clifford Heath

Anand P. Paralkar

gwa...@boysmindbooks.com

rickman

whit3rd