How Quantum Bands, Holes and Transistors Make Chips Work
What makes the chip in your tablet think?
Your turn!
Question 1 of 2What does a transistor do?
The story
Quarky zooms into a computer chip and finds electron highways called bands, plus empty parking spots called holes. A tiny switch named a transistor decides when electrons may cross. Billions of these switches flipping on and off are what let your tablet play, draw and count.
What you'll learn
- Electrons in solids live in energy bands, with gaps between them
- An empty spot left by an electron acts like a positive hole
- Transistors use a small voltage to switch a bigger current on and off
- Billions of quantum switches together make a computer chip work
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