Gate off閘極沒有電
With no voltage on the gate, the p-type silicon blocks the way. No channel, no current.
閘極沒有電壓，P 型矽把路擋住：沒有通道，就沒有電流。
Chips and Semiconductors · Unit 1 · Lesson 2 · 晶片與半導體 單元一 第二課
What Does a Transistor Do?電晶體在做什麼？
A transistor is a switch with no moving parts. Turn up the gate voltage and watch a channel of electrons appear in 3D, then wire two switches together to make AND, OR, and the first step of adding.
電晶體是沒有任何會動零件的開關。在 3D 裡調高閘極電壓，看電子的通道長出來；再把兩個開關接在一起，做出「且」「或」和加法的第一步。
Big idea · 一句話看懂
A transistor is a switch controlled by electricity. A small voltage on its gate opens a channel of electrons, so current can flow; take the voltage away, and the channel closes. On means 1 and off means 0, and billions of these switches, wired together, can do math.
電晶體是用電控制的開關：閘極加一點電壓，就打開一條電子的通道讓電流通過；拿掉電壓，通道就關上。開代表 1、關代表 0，幾十億個這樣的開關接在一起，就能算數學。
3D Model · 3D 模型
Inside a Transistor 電晶體裡面
Drag to turn the model, and scroll or pinch to zoom. In One transistor, slide the gate voltage up and watch electrons gather under the gate to make a channel between the source and the drain. Then switch to Switches that add, turn inputs A and B on and off, and see which lights come on when two transistors are wired in a row or side by side.
拖曳可以旋轉模型，滾輪或雙指可以縮放。在「一顆電晶體」把閘極電壓往上拉，看電子聚到閘極下面，在源極和汲極之間鋪出通道。再切換到「會算數的開關」，打開、關掉輸入 A 和 B，看兩顆電晶體串在一起或並排時，哪一顆燈會亮。
Drag to turn · 拖曳旋轉 Scroll or pinch to zoom · 滾輪／雙指縮放
This 3D model needs WebGL, which this browser does not support. The reading and the cards below still explain everything.
這個瀏覽器不支援 WebGL，無法顯示 3D 模型；下方的課文與卡片一樣能看懂。
- Blue dots: electrons
藍點：電子 - Pink rings: holes in the p-type silicon
粉紅圈：P 型矽裡的電洞 - Blue blocks: n-type silicon, the source and the drain
藍色塊：N 型矽，也就是源極和汲極 - Gold: the gate, sitting on a thin white insulator
金色：閘極，底下是一層薄薄的白色絕緣層
A teaching diagram, not to scale. Real transistors in a modern chip are far smaller, and many are built in 3D shapes such as fins instead of a flat slab. The voltages are only for illustration. The electrons are slowed down enormously so you can watch them; a real chip's clock ticks more than three billion times every second.
這是示意圖，不是真實比例。現代晶片裡的電晶體小得多，而且很多做成像鰭片一樣的立體形狀，不是平平的一塊。圖上的電壓只是示意。電子的速度大幅放慢，讓你看得見；真的晶片，時脈每秒跳動超過 30 億次。
Model drawn by My Culture Connect as a teaching diagram. The parts follow the standard description of the MOS transistor: an n-type source and drain in p-type silicon, with a gate over a thin insulator. · 模型由人師教育協會自繪示意；構造照 MOS 電晶體的標準說法：P 型矽裡的 N 型源極與汲極，上面隔著薄絕緣層的閘極。
Reading · 英文閱讀
2
Unit 2: What Does a Transistor Do?
In the last lesson, you saw that engineers can make silicon conduct by adding a pinch of phosphorus or boron. Now comes the amazing part. A chip uses n-type and p-type silicon to build tiny switches called transistors, often billions of them. A transistor has no moving parts, yet it can turn a current on and off billions of times every second. Every app, photo, and game on your phone depends on these switches.
上一課看到，工程師在矽裡加一點點磷或硼，就能讓它導電。接下來才是最神奇的部分：晶片用 N 型和 P 型矽做出極小的開關，叫做「電晶體」，數量常常有幾十億顆。電晶體沒有任何會動的零件，卻能每秒把電流開關幾十億次。手機裡的每個 App、每張照片、每個遊戲，都靠這些開關。
Most transistors in a chip work like this. Two n-type regions, called the source and the drain, sit in a piece of p-type silicon. Electrons would gladly flow from the source to the drain, but the p-type silicon between them blocks the way. Above that gap is the gate, a layer that conducts, separated from the silicon by a very thin layer of insulator.
晶片裡大部分的電晶體是這樣運作的：一塊 P 型矽上有兩塊 N 型區域，叫做「源極」和「汲極」。電子很樂意從源極流到汲極，可是中間的 P 型矽擋住了路。在這段空隙上方是「閘極」：一層會導電的材料，和矽之間隔著一層非常薄的絕緣層。
When a small positive voltage is put on the gate, it pulls electrons into a thin layer just under the insulator. This layer, called a channel, joins the source to the drain, and current flows. The switch is on. Take the voltage away, and the channel disappears, so the switch is off. The gate never touches the current. It controls the current from the other side of the insulator.
在閘極加上一點正電壓，它就把電子吸到絕緣層正下方，形成薄薄的一層。這一層叫做「通道」，把源極和汲極連起來，電流就流過去了：開關打開。把電壓拿掉，通道就消失，開關關上。閘極從來不碰電流，而是隔著絕緣層控制它。
A switch has only two states, on and off, and computers use them to stand for 1 and 0. With 0s and 1s, a computer can write any number, just as we write any number with the ten digits 0 to 9. This way of counting is called binary. In binary, the numbers one, two, three, and four are written 1, 10, 11, and 100.
開關只有兩種狀態：開和關，電腦就用它們代表 1 和 0。只用 0 和 1，電腦就能寫出任何數字，就像我們用 0 到 9 十個數字寫出任何數一樣。這種數法叫做「二進位」。在二進位裡，一、二、三、四寫成 1、10、11、100。
How can switches do math? Put two transistors in a row, and current flows only if both are on. That is called an AND gate. Put them side by side, and current flows if either one is on. That is an OR gate. A few gates together can add. In binary, 1 + 1 = 10: the sum is 0, and a 1 is carried to the next place, just like carrying a 1 when you add 5 + 5.
開關怎麼算數學？把兩顆電晶體排成一串，兩顆都開，電流才過得去，這叫「且閘」（AND gate）。把它們並排，只要有一顆開，電流就過得去，這叫「或閘」（OR gate）。幾個閘組合起來就能做加法。在二進位裡，1＋1＝10：這一位是 0，再進 1 到下一位，就像算 5＋5 時要進位一樣。
The first transistor was built at Bell Labs in the United States in 1947, and its three inventors shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956. In 1971, Intel's first microprocessor, the 4004, had 2,300 transistors. In 2024, Apple announced a chip with 28 billion. Each one is a switch, flipping on and off and adding up our world one 1 and 0 at a time.
第一顆電晶體 1947 年在美國的貝爾實驗室做出來，三位發明人在 1956 年共同獲得諾貝爾物理獎。1971 年，英特爾第一顆微處理器 4004 有 2,300 顆電晶體；2024 年，蘋果發表了一顆有 280 億顆電晶體的晶片。每一顆都是一個開關，開開關關，用一個個 1 和 0 算出我們的世界。
Read aloud · 課文朗讀
Questions · 閱讀理解
What are the three main parts of a transistor?
The source, the drain, and the gate.
What happens when a positive voltage is put on the gate?
It pulls electrons into a thin channel under the insulator. The channel joins the source to the drain, so current flows.
How are two transistors connected to make an AND gate, and when does current flow?
They are put in a row, and current flows only when both are on.
Words & Phrases · 生字及片語
switch(n.)開關Press the switch by the door to turn on the light.按門邊的開關，把燈打開。current(n.)電流；水流The wire carries an electric current to the lamp.電線把電流送到檯燈。voltage(n.)電壓A AA battery has a voltage of 1.5 volts.一顆三號電池的電壓是 1.5 伏特。gate(n.)大門；閘門；閘極The farmer opened the gate to let the cows out.農夫打開柵門，讓牛出去。transistor(n.)電晶體A transistor can turn a current on and off.電晶體可以把電流打開、關上。binary(adj.)二進位的In binary, the number two is written 10.在二進位裡，二寫成 10。calculate(v.)計算Can you calculate how many days are in ten weeks?你能算出十個星期有幾天嗎？billion(n.)十億A billion is a thousand million.十億就是一千個百萬。
Quick Check · 小測驗
1. What does a transistor do?
2. Which part decides whether a transistor is on or off?
3. In binary, how do you write the number three?
4. Two switches are in a row. When does the light turn on?
5. How many transistors did Intel's 4004 have in 1971?
Count the Switches · 數一數開關
How long would it take to count them? 一顆一顆數，要數多久？
Pick a chip and count its transistors, one every second, day and night without sleeping. Then ask everyone in Taiwan to help.
選一顆晶片，一秒數一顆電晶體，日夜不停、不睡覺。再請全台灣的人一起幫忙。
Taiwan's population at the end of August 2026 was about 23.2 million (Ministry of the Interior figures, as reported in September 2026).台灣 2026 年 8 月底人口約 2,320 萬人（內政部資料，2026 年 9 月報導）。
Transistor counts are the numbers the makers announced. Blackwell is two pieces of silicon joined to work as one chip.電晶體數量是廠商公布的數字。Blackwell 是兩片矽接在一起、當成一顆晶片使用。
Time to count · 要數多久
0 transistors · 顆電晶體
—
—
Since you opened this page, you could have counted 0 transistors.從你打開這一頁到現在，你可以數 0 顆。
Try It in the Model · 在模型裡試試
Four things to try 試試這四件事
Real chips usually pair this kind of transistor with a p-channel one that turns on with the opposite voltage, so that almost no current is wasted while they wait. The idea is the same: a gate that opens and closes a channel.
真的晶片通常把這種電晶體和「P 通道」電晶體配成一對（相反的電壓才打開），等待時幾乎不浪費電流。道理一樣：閘極打開、關上一條通道。
Gate on閘極加電
Turn the gate voltage up. Watch the holes get pushed away and a channel of electrons appear.
把閘極電壓調高：看電洞被推開，一條電子的通道長出來。
Two in a row: AND串在一起：且
Current has to pass through both transistors, so the light needs A and B.
電流要通過兩顆電晶體，所以 A 和 B 都要開，燈才亮。
Side by side: OR並排：或
Current can take either path, so the light needs only A or B.
電流可以走任何一條路，所以 A 或 B 有一個開，燈就亮。
Go Further · 延伸閱讀
Where the switches and the 0s and 1s come from 開關從哪裡來、0 和 1 去哪裡
Chips and Semiconductors · Lesson 1 · 晶片與半導體 第一課What Is a Semiconductor?什麼是半導體？Why n-type silicon has free electrons and p-type silicon has holes: the two materials every transistor is made of.N 型矽為什麼有自由電子、P 型矽為什麼有電洞：每顆電晶體都用這兩種材料做成。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →How Things Work · Lesson 8 · 萬物原理 第八課How Does a Computer Remember Things?電腦怎麼記住東西？How 0s and 1s become letters and photos, and how memory chips keep them, in a 3D memory chip you can type into.0 和 1 怎麼變成文字和照片、記憶體晶片怎麼存住它們；可以在 3D 記憶體晶片裡打字。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →
Transistors by the Numbers · 電晶體的數字
From 2,300 to 208 billion 從 2,300 到 2,080 億
Fifty years of switches, counted by the companies that made them.
五十年來的開關，用廠商公布的數字來數。
3main parts · 個主要部分
Source, drain, and gate.源極、汲極、閘極。
2states · 種狀態
On means 1 and off means 0.開代表 1，關代表 0。
2,300transistors · Intel 4004 (1971) · 顆電晶體（英特爾 4004，1971）
The first microprocessor sold by Intel.英特爾推出的第一顆微處理器。
28 billiontransistors · Apple M4 (2024) · 顆電晶體（蘋果 M4，2024）
More than ten million times the 4004.是 4004 的一千萬倍以上。
208 billiontransistors · NVIDIA Blackwell (2024) · 顆電晶體（輝達 Blackwell，2024）
Two pieces of silicon joined to work as one AI chip.兩片矽接在一起，當成一顆 AI 晶片。
99%of microchips use MOS transistors · 的晶片用 MOS 電晶體
The kind of transistor in this lesson, according to the Computer History Museum.就是這一課的這種電晶體（美國電腦歷史博物館）。
Transistor Stories · 電晶體的故事
A Christmas present, a name, a law, and a record 一份聖誕禮物、一個名字、一條定律、一項紀錄
Four short stories about the switch inside everything.
關於「萬物裡的開關」的四個小故事。
1947 · Bell Labs · 貝爾實驗室
A Christmas present一份聖誕禮物
On December 16, 1947, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs in the United States made the first working transistor: two gold contacts pressed onto a piece of germanium. They showed it to lab officials on December 23, and their group leader, William Shockley, called it a magnificent Christmas present. The three men shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.
1947 年 12 月 16 日，美國貝爾實驗室的巴丁和布拉頓做出第一顆能運作的電晶體：兩個金接點壓在一小塊鍺上。他們在 12 月 23 日展示給實驗室主管看，小組領導人蕭克利說這是「一份很棒的聖誕禮物」。三人在 1956 年共同獲得諾貝爾物理獎。
The Word · 這個詞
Where “transistor” comes from「電晶體」這個名字
Engineer John Pierce named it. Vacuum tubes had a property called transconductance, and the new device had transresistance, so Pierce began the name with “trans-” and ended it like the varistor and the thermistor, other new parts of the time. Bell Labs announced the transistor to the public on June 30, 1948. The Chinese name, 電晶體, means “electric crystal.”
命名的是工程師皮爾斯。真空管有一種性質叫 transconductance，新元件則有 transresistance，所以他用「trans-」開頭，結尾學當時的新零件 varistor、thermistor。貝爾實驗室在 1948 年 6 月 30 日向大眾公布電晶體。中文「電晶體」，字面上就是「電的晶體」。
Moore's Law · 摩爾定律
Doubling, again and again一次又一次加倍
In 1965, Gordon Moore predicted that the number of parts on a chip would double every year. In 1975 he changed it to every two years. From the 4004's 2,300 transistors in 1971 to 28 billion in Apple's M4 in 2024 is more than ten million times as many.
1965 年，摩爾預測晶片上的元件數量每年會加倍；1975 年他改成每兩年加倍。從 1971 年 4004 的 2,300 顆，到 2024 年蘋果 M4 的 280 億顆，增加了一千萬倍以上。
A Record · 一項紀錄
The most-made thing in history人類做過最多的東西
In 2018, the Computer History Museum reported an estimate that about 13 sextillion transistors had been made since 1947. That is 13 followed by 21 zeros, which makes the transistor the most frequently manufactured human artifact in history. Almost all of them are MOS transistors, the kind in this lesson.
2018 年，美國電腦歷史博物館引用分析師的估計：從 1947 年到當時，人類大約做了 1.3 × 10²² 顆電晶體，也就是 13 後面接 21 個 0。這讓電晶體成為人類史上製造數量最多的東西，而且幾乎全是這一課講的 MOS 電晶體。
Myth vs. Fact · 常見迷思
Four things people get wrong 四個常見的誤會
✗ Myth · 迷思A transistor has tiny moving parts that click on and off.電晶體裡有會喀噠開關的小零件。
✓ Fact · 事實Nothing moves except electrons. A voltage on the gate makes a channel of electrons appear or disappear.除了電子，什麼都沒有動。閘極上的電壓讓一條電子的通道出現或消失。
✗ Myth · 迷思Inside a computer, numbers are stored with the digits 0 to 9.電腦裡的數字是用 0 到 9 存的。
✓ Fact · 事實Inside the chip, every number is stored in binary, using only 0s and 1s, because a switch has only two states.晶片裡每個數字都用二進位存，只有 0 和 1，因為開關只有兩種狀態。
✗ Myth · 迷思Transistors were first made for computers.電晶體一開始是為電腦做的。
✓ Fact · 事實In the United States, the first transistor products were a hearing aid in 1952 and the Regency TR-1 pocket radio in 1954.在美國，最早用電晶體的產品是 1952 年的助聽器，和 1954 年的口袋收音機 Regency TR-1。
✗ Myth · 迷思When a transistor is off, its electrons disappear.電晶體關掉時，電子就不見了。
✓ Fact · 事實The electrons are still in the source and the drain. Off only means there is no channel joining them.電子還在源極和汲極裡；「關」只是表示沒有通道把它們連起來。
Remember It · 記憶口訣
Transistors in a sentence 一句話記住電晶體
Gate on, channel open閘極有電，通道就開
A small voltage on the gate pulls in electrons and opens the way.
閘極加一點電壓，把電子吸過來，路就通了。
On is 1, off is 0開是 1，關是 0
Two states are all a computer needs to write any number.
電腦只要兩種狀態，就能寫出任何數字。
In a row is AND, side by side is OR串聯是「且」，並聯是「或」
A row needs both switches; side by side needs just one.
串在一起要兩個都開；並排只要一個開。
1 + 1 = 101＋1＝10
In binary, write 0 and carry the 1, just like 5 + 5.
二進位裡寫 0、進 1，就像 5＋5。
Safety First · 安全提醒
Before you try anything 動手之前先讀
- Use only small dry-cell batteries, such as AA or AAA. Never put wires, clips, or any metal into a wall outlet.只用三號、四號這類小型乾電池。電線、夾子或任何金屬都絕不能插進牆上的插座。
- Never connect the two ends of a battery directly with a wire or a paper clip. That is a short circuit, and it can get hot.絕不要用電線或迴紋針直接連接電池兩端。那是短路，會發燙。
- Ask an adult to make the holes in the cardboard for the paper-clip switches.迴紋針開關要在紙板上打洞時，請大人幫忙。
- Keep button batteries away from young children. A swallowed button battery is a medical emergency.鈕扣電池要遠離幼兒；誤吞鈕扣電池要立刻就醫。
- Never take apart a phone or computer to look for its transistors. The lithium battery inside can catch fire if it is bent or punctured.絕不要拆開手機或電腦找電晶體：裡面的鋰電池被折到或刺破，可能會起火。
Classroom Activity 1 · 課堂活動一
Build AND and OR with Two Switches 用兩個開關做出「且」和「或」
You need · 準備材料
- A holder for two AA batteries, with two AA batteries兩顆三號電池和電池盒
- A red LED and a 100-ohm resistor (or an LED with a built-in resistor)一顆紅色 LED 和一個 100 歐姆電阻（或內建電阻的 LED）
- Two switches, or make each one from a paper clip and two brass paper fasteners on cardboard兩個開關，或用迴紋針和兩個雙腳釘在紙板上各做一個
- Five wires with alligator clips五條附鱷魚夾的電線
Steps · 步驟
- Make a loop of the battery, the resistor, the LED, and one switch. Check that the switch turns the LED on and off. The LED's longer leg goes toward the + side.把電池、電阻、LED 和一個開關接成一圈，確認開關能讓 LED 亮和熄。LED 比較長的腳接「＋」那一邊。
- Put the two switches in a row. Try all four ways to set them, and fill in a table: A, B, light on or off.把兩個開關串在一起。試試四種開關組合，填一張表：A、B、燈亮或不亮。
- Rebuild the circuit with the two switches side by side, and fill in a second table.改成兩個開關並排，再填第二張表。
- Compare the tables. Which one is AND, and which is OR? Think of a door with two locks, and a room with two doors.比較兩張表：哪一張是「且」、哪一張是「或」？想想「一扇門有兩道鎖」和「一個房間有兩扇門」。
Draw the circuit before you build it, and open the switches whenever you move a wire.
接線前先把電路畫出來；每次移動電線時，都先把開關打開（斷開）。
Classroom Activity 2 · 課堂活動二
Count to 31 on One Hand 用一隻手數到 31
You need · 準備材料
- Your hands你的雙手
- Paper and a pencil紙和鉛筆
Steps · 步驟
- Give each finger a value: thumb 1, pointer 2, middle 4, ring 8, little finger 16. A raised finger is a 1, and a folded finger is a 0.每根手指一個值：拇指 1、食指 2、中指 4、無名指 8、小指 16。伸直是 1，彎下是 0。
- Count from 0 to 31 together, raising fingers to make each number. Write a few numbers in binary, such as 5 = 101.全班一起從 0 數到 31，用伸直的手指湊出每個數。把幾個數寫成二進位，例如 5＝101。
- Add two small numbers with a partner, one on each hand. When two 1s meet in the same place, write 0 and carry 1 to the next finger.和同學各用一隻手比一個小數字，把它們加起來：同一位遇到兩個 1，就寫 0、進 1 到下一根手指。
- Talk about it: one hand counts to 31. How high can two hands, ten fingers, count? (Answer: 1,023.)討論：一隻手可以數到 31，兩隻手十根手指能數到多少？（答案：1,023。）
The number 4 raises only the middle finger, so many teachers have students turn their hands sideways and laugh about it together.
數字 4 只伸中指，很多老師會請學生把手轉成側面，大家一起笑一笑就好。
Sources · 資料出處
Facts and numbers on this page were checked against these sources (October 2026). · 本頁的事實與數字依下列資料查證（2026 年 10 月）。
- First working transistor December 16, 1947, shown December 23 (Bardeen, Brattain; Shockley's “Christmas present”); named by John Pierce; announced June 30, 1948第一顆電晶體 1947/12/16 成功、12/23 展示；皮爾斯命名；1948/6/30 公布Computer History Museum ↗
- 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics: Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain, for the discovery of the transistor effect1956 年諾貝爾物理獎：蕭克利、巴丁、布拉頓The Nobel Prize ↗
- How the name “transistor” was chosen (transconductance, transresistance, varistor, thermistor)「transistor」這個名字的由來PBS, Transistorized! ↗
- MOS transistor demonstrated by Atalla and Kahng (1959–1960); over 99 percent of microchips use MOS transistorsMOS 電晶體由阿塔拉與姜大元示範（1959–1960）；超過 99% 的晶片用 MOS 電晶體Computer History Museum ↗
- MOSFET structure: n-type source and drain in a p-type body; gate over a thin insulator; positive gate voltage forms an n-channelMOS 電晶體構造：P 型基底裡的 N 型源極與汲極；閘極在薄絕緣層上；正電壓形成 N 通道Wikipedia, “MOSFET” ↗
- CMOS pairs n-channel and p-channel transistorsCMOS 把 N 通道與 P 通道電晶體配成一對Wikipedia, “CMOS” ↗
- Series switches: both must be on (AND); parallel switches: at least one on (OR)串聯開關要兩個都開（且）；並聯有一個開就好（或）LibreTexts, Applied Discrete Structures ↗
- Half adder: XOR for the sum, AND for the carry半加器：和用 XOR、進位用 ANDWikipedia, “Adder (electronics)” ↗
- Intel 4004 (announced November 15, 1971): 2,300 transistors英特爾 4004（1971/11/15 發表）：2,300 顆電晶體Intel ↗
- Apple M4 (May 7, 2024): 28 billion transistors; debuts in iPad Pro蘋果 M4（2024/5/7）：280 億顆電晶體；首先用在 iPad ProApple Newsroom ↗
- NVIDIA Blackwell (March 18, 2024): 208 billion transistors輝達 Blackwell（2024/3/18）：2,080 億顆電晶體NVIDIA Newsroom ↗
- Moore's law: doubling every year (1965), revised to every two years (1975)摩爾定律：每年加倍（1965），改成每兩年（1975）Computer History Museum ↗
- About 13 sextillion transistors made since 1947 (analyst estimate, 2018): the most frequently manufactured human artifact1947 年以來約 1.3 × 10²² 顆電晶體（分析師估計，2018）：人類製造最多的東西Computer History Museum blog (2018) ↗
- First transistorized consumer products: Sonotone hearing aid (1952), Regency TR-1 radio (1954)最早的電晶體消費產品：助聽器（1952）、Regency TR-1 收音機（1954）Computer History Museum ↗
- Clock rate: 3 GHz means three billion cycles per second時脈：3 GHz＝每秒 30 億次Wikipedia, “Clock rate” ↗
- Recent phone chips run at more than 3.7 GHz (Apple A17 Pro up to 3.78 GHz)近年的手機晶片時脈超過 3.7 GHz（蘋果 A17 Pro 最高 3.78 GHz）Wikipedia, “Apple A17 Pro” ↗
- Taiwan's population at the end of August 2026: 23,224,721 (Ministry of the Interior data)台灣 2026 年 8 月底人口 23,224,721 人（內政部資料）Business Today (今周刊), September 10, 2026 ↗