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Introduction by George Kupczak of the AT&T Archives and History Center

In this film, Walter H. Brattain, Nobel Laureate in Physics, presents an introductory college-level lecture on the physics of semiconductors. He demonstrates by experiment such semiconductor properties as thermal EMF, photo EMF, and rectification. He introduces a simple mathematical model to describe the observed properties of semiconductors.

The history of the development of semiconductors, the impact of new discoveries and some of the new phenomena are also discussed. Dr. Brattain shared the Nobel Prize in 1956 for his co-invention of the transistor. He was a member of the Physical Research department of Bell Laboratories.

Footage courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, Warren, NJ