What use are transistors? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: SimonR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 05:11:23 pm
content: No don't answer that. We all know they are very useful but some universties don't think so.I was talking with some collegues from a previous job and they told me that they were recruiting for a graduate engineer.They said they were finding that new graduates had NOT done any transistor theory.How can you do a degree in electronics and not do any transistor theory.I just wondered if this is widespread or just a one off.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 05:35:15 pm
content: I don't understand that. They're acting like knowing transistor theory somehow affects your thinking processes. Doesn't make any sense.

author: klr5205
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 05:37:23 pm
content: Hopefully that's a one-off...I'm only a couple years out of school and we spent what felt like forever on the physics of diodes, followed by BJT operation and some applications like current mirrors and various amplifier topologies, followed later by similar analyses of MOSFETs.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 05:46:30 pm
content: Why teach tranisitors, when you can do its job with an FPGA!

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 05:57:06 pm
content: A mechanical graduate engineer perhaps?

author: SimonR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 06:07:23 pm
content: Quote from: klr5205 on June 08, 2016, 05:37:23 pmI also spent a lot longer on the physics of semiconductors than I thought was necessary but the rest of it has been invaluable.Even if you are doing purely digital design knowing this stuff stops you making stupid mistakes.QuoteIf that's true I'd love to see a 100W switching PSU made out of a just FPGAs

author: SimonR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 06:08:41 pm
content: Quote from: Jeroen3 on June 08, 2016, 05:57:06 pmMaybe, but they were looking for Electronics graduates.

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 06:35:26 pm
content: QuoteWe once put out an ad where we were looking for electronics engineers. Among others a cook applied.

author: John_ITIC
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 06:49:36 pm
content: Quote from: SimonR on June 08, 2016, 05:11:23 pmUniversity education isn't what it used to be. These days, it is essentially a trade education, so teaching skills needed in industry. There's simply not much discrete transistor design going on in industry these days.

author: photon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 07:40:51 pm
content: Was it Trump University?

author: dferyance
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 07:41:52 pm
content: I have a degree in software engineering and they didn't cover transistors or any semiconductors. It is really the one EE topic I am sad that I missed out on. They covered things like linear networks and some A/C, as well as digital logic and VHDL. I suppose I can get pretty far on just that, but couldn't imagine working as a EE with only that knowledge. For the most part I know I am limited though and don't pass myself off as something more.That said, there are tons of people in the software field that barely know how to program. They copy/paste from web sites, find how to do work-avoidance and pass the blame. So I guess I am not surprised it happens in other fields too. It is not too unusual to have engineers that actually contribute negatively to the team where someone else has to fix their work.

author: ECEdesign
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 07:57:55 pm
content: Our program has a mandatory class in semiconductor physics (diodes, band gaps, quantum physics etc) and another about analog design. One of the main professors for analog design is apparently not that great I talked with some of the students that took his class who said they don't understand what an op-amp does... um thats pretty importantI think there is a big emphasis in industry on FPGA and more software based solutions than there used to be. Many people do DSP work. I am just a student so I really don't know for sure about industry.I really like analog design though. There is something intriguing about being to manipulate signals without any programming! I have been learning about the analalog greats like Jim Williams, Bob Pease, and Bob Dobkin. Sure anyone can write a script to flip some bits but I think its cool to design something that can do very precision work in analog. It sounds like many design engineers for semiconductor companies get PhDs. I think I would like doing the graduate degree quite a bit.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 08:16:27 pm
content: Quote from: SimonR on June 08, 2016, 05:11:23 pmI guess it depends on exactly what you mean by "transistor theory". If we're talking conduction and valance bands then perhaps you can get away without it. But if we're talking about hfe, hFEand beta then you can't. If the latter it ceases to be a degree in electronics and becomes a degree in IC selection and would mean that I, an avowed amateur, would know more than a supposedly qualified professional.

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 08:23:05 pm
content: Quote from: SimonR on June 08, 2016, 05:11:23 pmName of the university, graduation year?I don't believe a word of it, it's easy to spread false rumours.

author: SimonR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 11:26:06 pm
content: I have no idea what university the candiadates came from, they didn't say.I looked at the current course from my own, Univerity of Plymouth, and it does miss out some of the stuff I did, such as magnetics. But it doesn't look like transitor theory is still there in some form.I agree there's probably not much use for the valance band stuff ,or the ice cream cone theory, out side of a Phd but the tansistor modeling stuff is essential. We did several types including hybrid-pi, ebers-moll and h parameters, but I've never really needed anything other than hfe.And that's the point I did need it, and the various common circuit configurations transistors can be connected in.For example its commonly known that you can use the a transistor as a switch to apply power to somthing controlled by a digital output pin. And connecting one up anyold how is probably fine in a one off circuit for a hobby. But what if you make 10,000 what if you find 10% fail because you should have had an emitter resistor in the circuit. What if you did have one and really you shouldn't have.How would you know what size bas resistor to use.How would you know whats right if you hadn't studied the theory?These days of course you would just throw a modern FET at the problem, but if you need some control over current you still need to know what you are doing.And this is the kind of thing that the applicants were being asked to do, and couldn't. Theyed done all of the sexy digital design stuff but almost none of the analogue.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2016, 11:36:41 pm
content: I've spent far too much time on semiconductor theory at university. I know how to make a transistor, not just use one. I'm pretty sure that it's required for IET accredited courses.