Walter Houser Brattain
- Born:
- February 10, 1902, Amoy, China
- Died:
- October 13, 1987, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Nationality:
- American
- Profession(s):
- Physicist, Inventor
Early Life and Education
- Born in China to American parents who ran a private school.
- Grew up on a cattle ranch near Tonasket, Washington.
- Received a B.S. in physics and mathematics from Whitman College in 1924.
- Earned an M.A. in physics from the University of Oregon in 1926.
- Undertook graduate studies at the University of Minnesota and the University of Berlin.
Career and Major Achievements
- Joined Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1929.
- Worked primarily on surface physics.
- Co-inventor of the point-contact transistor with John Bardeen and William Shockley in 1947.
- The invention was publicly announced in 1948.
- Shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics with Bardeen and Shockley for the invention of the transistor.
- Continued research at Bell Labs until his retirement in 1967.
Notable Works
- Point-contact transistor patent.
- Published numerous scientific papers on surface physics and semiconductor phenomena.
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Legacy and Impact
Walter Brattain's co-invention of the transistor revolutionized electronics, paving the way for miniaturization, digital computing, and countless modern technologies. His work laid the foundation for the integrated circuit and the digital age.
Awards and Recognition
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Stuart Ballantine Medal of the Franklin Institute | 1952 |
| John Scott Medal | 1955 |
| Nobel Prize in Physics | 1956 |