CONFERENCE WITH (SANITIZED) ON THE TRANSISTOR RESEARCH PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03424A001300030010-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 11, 2013
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: February 12, 1953
• Content Type: MEMO

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/11: CIA-RDP78-03424A001300030010-5
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SECURITY INFORMATION , ?'
Office Memorandum ? UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TO :
FROM :
SUBJECT:
Contract RD-27,
Task
Order No.2 DATE: 12
on the Transistor Research Program
made to the plant of the contractor
1953, for the purpose of monitoring
subject contract and further to discuss
the transistor program. The following
February 1953
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Conference with
1. A visit
was
11 February
the
enlarging
on
the
the progress of
possibilities of
persons were present:
2. Prior to this visit, the contractor was requested to be
prepared to discuss the merit of expediting the existing work
program and/or initiating a new Task Order for the design of equipment.
At the subject conference, the contractor was queried as to the
feasibility of such action and also as to his willingness and cap-
abilities of undertaking such an expanded program.
3. Firstly, it was stated that the existing program which
this Agency has contracted for was essentially a long range program
and is being treated as such by the contractor. The circuit inves-
tigations which are being undertaken are concerned with experimental
transistors which exhibit characteristics which are not likely to
be attainable in production transistors until the first of 1955.
Consequently, a speed-up.of this present program was not thought to
possess too much merit. In addition, the additional manpower
necessary for such a speed-up is not presently available.
4. Information was
sought on the target production dates by
the The present plans call
for the initial production of point-contact transistors by the first
of 1954. The electrical characteristics of these transistors are
by no means known at this time but tentative data sheets have been
drawn Up and they indicate that these transistors may be useful up
to frequencies of approximately 10 megacycles. The initial production
of junction transistors is scheduled for the middle of 1954. However,
it is anticipated that these types will be useful for audio frequency
work only with a small possibility that the frequency characteristics
will be such as to allow their use in 500 kc I.F. Amplifier designs.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/11 : CIA-RDP78-03424A001300030010-5
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Declassified in Part- Sanitized CopyApproved forRelease2013/09/11 : CIA-RDP78-03424A001300030010-5
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SECURITY INFORMATION UONHULN I IA!
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5. Based upon the above information, it was stated that if
a product design of a transmitter-receiver were to be initiated at
this time, that it would be based entirely upon the use of point-
contact transistors. And further, It was stated that this design
would constantly be altered as the tentative data sheets for the
production transistors were altered and completed. Even so, this
is somewhat the same procedure that is used for circuits designed
for developmental vacuum tubes. This procedure allows the design
to be completed shortly after the production tubes are available.
6. The advantages of a transmitter-receiver design using these
point-contact transistors was then discussed,. It was pointed out
that this/Agency was not particularly interested in transistorized
equipment for the sake of transistors alone but that some real
advantages in size and weight must be realized to make such a
program :reasible.A transmitter with one watt of R.F. power
output and a minimum requirement receiver, both with a frequency
range of 2 to 8 megacycles was taken as the basis for the discussion.
It was assumed that this equipment would be battery powered. If an
equipment design for such ar s,.-nsistorized transmitter receiver
were initiated at this time, engineers stated that no attempt
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would be made to provide a transistor output stage for the transmitter.
ver, all other tithe functions wbuld be accomplished by transistors.
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ngineers would not commit themselves at this time on how much 50X1
power savings would be realized by such a design. They did state,
however, that no appreciable reduction in size and weight could be
expected.
7. The contractor was requested to prepare a paper design of
a completely transistorized receiver, indicating expected performance
characteristics and power drain, based upon the use of the point-
contact transistors. It was agreed that this would be done and
that it would be forwarded separately to this Agency. This paper
design is necessary for a more exact evaluation of the action to be
taken with regard to this program.
8. ' A preliminary estimate of the power savings to be expected,
based upon an extension of the information obtained from the
contractor can be made at this time. The total paver savings for
both the transmitter and receiver will be between 10 to 15 per cent.
The reason this is such a low figure is because the transmitter
output stage alone requires 6o to 65 per cent of the total equipment
input power. A new evaluation of these figures will be made at
the time the contractor forwards more complete design information.
It would appear"11Wever, that a more substantial power savings
would be required to make such a project feasible, especially in
view of the fact thdt size and weight reduction will not be appreciable.
SECFIT
SECURITY INFORMATION,,
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/11: CIA-RDP78-03424A001300030010-5
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/11: CIA-RDP78-03424A001300030010-5
Jt.U.Util I Y ION
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9. Work on the present Task Order involved a matrix analysis
of transistor circuits, mixer circuits, phase inverters, and I.F.
amplifiers. The work for the next two month period will continue
with these same investigations as well as initial work on transistors
in variable frequency oscillators aimed at providing a receiver
H.F.O.
SECURITY H:FORMATION
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/11: CIA-RDP78-03424A001300030010-5