Transistors are semiconductor devices that can amplify or switch electronic signals and power. They operate by controlling the flow of electrons in a semiconductor material with no moving parts. The transistor was invented in 1947 at Bell Labs by Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley, using a solid piece of germanium. There are two main types - bipolar junction transistors (BJT) and field-effect transistors (FET). BJTs use both holes and electrons to conduct current and have three terminals - base, collector, and emitter. FETs use an electric field to control the shape and hence the conductivity of a channel of one type of charge carrier. Transistors are essential components in virtually all modern electronic