Why was Walter Brattain Important?:
In 1947, physicist and nobel prize winner, Walter Brattain co-invented the transistor, an influential little invention that changed the course of history for computers and electronics in a big way.
Walter Brattain Education:
In 1924, Walter Brattain received a B.S. degree from Whitman College. In 1926, he received a M.A. degree from the University of Oregon. In 1929, he received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota.
In 1952, Brattain received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Portland University, one from Whitman College and Union College in 1955, and one from the Uiversity of Minnesota in 1957.
Walter Brattain Main Awards:
- 1952 Stuart Ballantine Medal of the Franklin Institute
- 1955 Scott Medal
- 1956 Nobel Prize Physics (Co-winners William Shockley, John Bardeen) for the invention of the transistor
Walter Brattain Biography: February 10, 1902 - :
"The only regret I have about the transistor is its use for rock and roll" Walter Brattain in reference to the transistor radio.
Walter Brattain was born in Amoy, China in 1902, He was the son of Ross Brattain and Ottilie Houser. His father had been teaching science and math in China, soon after his birth the family returned to Washington State, where young Walter grew up on a ranch.
Employment
Walter Brattain's first job was as a radio engineer at the National Bureau of Standards. In 1929, Brattain began working for Bell Laboratories where he co-invented the transistor with William Shockley and John Bardeen.While at Bell Laboratories, Walter Brattain concentrated his research on the surface properties of solids, his field of work included: the thermionic emission and absorbed layers on tungsten; and the rectification and photo-effects on the semiconductor surfaces of cuprous oxide, silicon, and germanium.
Two's Company, Three's a Crowd
Walter Brattain and John Bardeen worked closely together at Bell labs. In fact, there was much discussion about how much credit William Shockley as team leader deserved for the point-contact transistor. Walter Brattain grew unhappy working under Shockley and later transferred to another department. However, he remained at Bell Labs until his retirement in 1967.Walter Brattain died of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 85 on October 13, 1987.
