Charles W. Mueller Interview (July 11, 1975)

This interview is part of the RCA Engineers Collection

Mueller, a pioneer in solid-state electronics, studied electrical engineering at Notre Dame and received a master's degree in engineering and a doctorate in physics from MIT. Upon receiving his Ph.D., Mueller took a position with RCA's tube department in Harrison, New Jersey.

The interview covers Mueller's work in solid-state technology and the early development of RCA's alloy transistor. Mueller discusses how the early transistors were made and the initial efforts in full-scale production. The interview also covers the development of the MOS transistor and integrated MOS arrays, the silicon vidicon, the storage tube, the tunnel diode and the S.O.S. (Silicon on Sapphire)

Table of Contents

Early work on the development of transistors in vacuum tubes A course organized at RCA to discuss solid-state theory Deflection-type tube an interesting new development
Use of deflection-type tube for radar input Early work on the alloy transistor Alloy transistor developed with goal of commercial production
First transistors were point-contact Schockley posits idea of the junction transistor Role of laboratories in consulting for industry in general Lab held symposium in mid-1950s on transistors Difficulty getting working transistors in deflection circuits of TVs
Simplicity as advantage of alloy transistor over grown junction transistor Metallurgy advantages of alloy transistor system
Project begun to make a transistor to work in high-frequency region for radios Mueller and Barton give talks at IEEE sections on portable transistor radios Bell Laboratories announces the transistor tetrode
Uncertainty about which type of transistor to make Resistance of manufacturing people to completely new device First job to make enough transistors to allow people to evaluate them
Description of method used to make transistors
Skepticism of tube division people in Harrison Problems with ridding the plant of dust
Clean rooms not available No known means for measuring and monitoring dust particles
Tubes and transistors suffered from "Summer sickness" due to poor air-conditioning Problems with starting the production line Learning to eliminate flux was break for transistor industry Improvements in the quality of germanium
Problems with too-perfect germanium; caused indium dot to spread too much Rate of production Improved rate of production with development of tools High price of original transistors
Problems with setting the limits on transistor that would work in radio Determining which group of transistors would work in particular circuits
Replacement of alloy transistor with silicon diffuse transistor Development of the MOS transistor Transistor development tremendous due to demands
Interaction between people who make devices and those who use them as essential for development Description of the MOS transistor
Problems with static electricity and MOS transistors Solving the problem of drifting by making oxides cleaner
The development of the thyristor as accidental discovery with Lard Barton
Application of thyristor characteristics to high voltage devices Differences in construction between bipolar and MOS transistors High impedance output main advantage of MOS over bipolar
First MOS devices made by Mueller and Zenninger Began with trying to make veractors
Mueller's RCA fellowship in Zurich Development going on in several labs besides RCA
Eventual commercial use of MOS Use in computers Development of the silicon vidicon Bell Telephone's interest in silicon vidicon Mueller identifies silicon vidicon as MOS devices
Work on ridding the silicon vidicon devices of defects
Use of silicon vidicon in Apollo moon launch camera Used in surveillance
Advantages of silicon vidicon in low-light applications Silicon vidicon begun about 1968 Storage tube development result of work on silicon vidicon
Bob Silver's work on storage tubes Developments in silicon technology
Photo-resist technology Probable replacement of photo-resist with charge-coupled devices Development of the tunnel diode physics by Leo Esaki Lack of commercial success of tunnel diode
Tunnel diode has disadvantage of being two-element device Too difficult and expensive to manufacture in quantity
Tunnel diode eclipsed when transistors could reach higher frequencies Remarks on S.O.S. (silicon on sapphire) and hybrid technology S.O.S. development took a very long time
Work on growing silicon on an insulator
Success through using MOS device Additional project trying to evaporate silicon
S.O.S. outmoded by developments in MOS, bipolar transistors No longer involved in S.O.S. S.O.S. military value in its radiation resistance Military support for S.O.S. research
Possibility of eventual commercial uses of S.O.S. Educational background Becomes interested in science and engineering through high school teacher Undergraduate work in electrical engineering at Notre Dame Graduates in middle of the Depression
Took master's degree from MIT Studied with Edgerton Took job with Raytheon Returns to graduate studies in physics at MIT under Professor Nottingham Nottingham's stress on practical application Slater at MIT opening field of solid-state physics Mueller takes job with RCA tube department at Harrison
Experiences at MIT Sense of the possibilities of solid-state technology
Theories of solid-state known in early twentieth-century, but not possible to make good enough materials Difference between laboratory success and commercial success
Anecdote about the intrigue of the "spectra transistors"