Bell Labs

Bell Labs appears in 真正改变世界的技术，为什么一开始都不被看好？| S10E16 as the research environment where Muhammad Atalla and Dawon Kahng / 姜大元 developed the [[MOSFET|MOS transistor]] in the 1960s. The source says Bell Labs did not initially prioritize MOS because [[BipolarJunctionTransistor|BJT]] technology better matched [[ATT|AT&T]]’s near-term switching needs.

The episode uses Bell Labs as a case where a negative judgment can be rational within the incumbent system and still miss a future trajectory. MOS was slower and less stable by the main telecom metrics, but its low cost and ease of integration later mattered more as integrated circuits scaled.

Connections

• Muhammad Atalla, Dawon Kahng / 姜大元, and MOSFET / MOS Transistor - MOS invention branch in the source.
• AT&T and Bipolar Junction Transistor - incumbent communication-switching context.
• Fairchild Semiconductor, Intel, and Disruptive Innovation - later adoption and scalability branch.