Video: "A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track." Me: *Looks nervously at how old this video is now*

I waited my whole life to see Derek dressed as a sillicon atom

From 22nm 10 years ago when this video was made, to IBM's new 2nm chip, the fundamental principle is still simple yet groundbreaking.

10 years down the track sure does feel a lot closer now. Maybe an update on this one?

In this 6 minute video, I learned more about transistors, and understood better how they work, than in a semester of my electronics class.

Almost 10 year update: We essentially have 3 more years worth of improvements left. There are lots of improvement in terms of how power is delivered, changing shape of transistors (GAAFET) that will primarily give performance improvement. The 3 year delay is also mainly because there has been slowdown in improvement in recent years. After that, your galaxy phones and macbooks will essentially have same performance with every new release.

"But they are both neutral" Adds switz plus-sign flag

Great videos, as always. One correction for accuracy: While the focus appears to be on transistors in digital circuits, in reality, all transistors are much more than switches. They have a full range of operation between 0 or "OFF" and 1 or "ON". This continuous range is how common analog signals like audio, raw sensor voltages, or radio waves are amplified.

"A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track." well, we are in 2021 now so, we are facing this problem very soon

1:04 I was searching the for the 4th electron , and he turned around . I just lost it 😂

2013: The current transistor size is 23nm 2021: IBM now working with 2nm chips

The first time I watch this video I had very little knowledge about electricity and semiconductors, but as I've taken more classes through college,, especially since I'm getting a materials science degree, I've learned so much about these topics and I've gone back to this video and I'm amazed by how much more I know about semiconductors and electricity now.

3:21 Ironic that the Swiss flag could be interpreted as a plus sign.

This is basically my favorite video on explaining how transistors work. Especially as to how the electrons/holes flow in both on and off states. I've probably come back here at least once every semester when reviewing.

5:35 "This will be a real problem for the future of transistors, but we'll probably only face that another 10 years down the track." Hello from 2024.

"A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track." These days we are happy with any chip at all :D

I'm an engineering student, this is better explained here than in my classes haha it's impressive. Keep up the good work. Love the atom suit by the way.

1:18 rare footage of Derek's Aussie accent!!!

I understood how to wire a translator but had never heard a great explanation of the HOW. I've always wondered. This was an awesome video! Your instruction and visuals made it really simple. Thank you for helping me finally scratch that itch.

2013: "A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track. 2023: ...... 👀

Little mistake: By applying a gate voltage, you don't really encourage electrons to jump out of the Source region. You attract electrons from the substrate underneath the gate, and repel holes at the same time. And as soon as there are more electrons than holes, this region behaves like an n-type layer (this is called inversion) , and that way, it connects Source to Drain.

5:35 "but that's not a problem until 10 years down the line" - video made 9 years ago

This video is dope! Jokes aside, this is the best explanation I've ever seen, and I've looked up what a transistor is many many times because I never really understood why they were so special.

Derek, you have balls for making the video

Fair play. I am an electrical engineer with a Bachelors and Master degrees. If I had videos like this whilst studying, life would have been so easy. It's nice to sit back and watch these videos knowing that my visualization and thinking was correct, if not hard earned.

1:20 Never knew hippy Derek was the friend i needed

Do not ever delete or remove this video. So friggin helpful!!!

In this 6 minutes , I could understand something that I couldn’t for almost 3 years reading books in high school and then college

The BEST transistor demo I have come across on the web. WELL DONE !!! and thank you.

@5:45 That ten years is almost up-- how is this lookin for the future of transistors now?

It is so cool how Derek talks about the subject. He really likes this stuff. BTW, I wanted for a long time to understand how transistors work. Now I have. Thanks! 😉👍

Loved it!! I am re-learning transistors after about 30 years! And I can see this is by far the BEST explanation I have seen/heard. Great job.. I am going to share it with many people!

I wanted to know more so I did a quick Wikipedia search, turns out Derek was completely wrong, transistor is a science fiction RPG game published by Super Giant games...don't always trust these science videos.

I have had a course about nano devices for 3 weeks and this 6 minute video taught me more than 12 hours of classes on the subject

5:40 i am from future and Yes, we are nearing the limits of Moore's law. The number of transistors that can be packed into a chip has been doubling every two years for over 50 years. However, as transistors get smaller, it becomes increasingly difficult to control their behavior. At the 3 nm node, which is the current state of the art, transistors are already starting to show signs of quantum tunneling. This means that electrons can tunnel through the transistor's gate, even when they are not supposed to. This can lead to errors in computation. There are a number of ways that engineers are trying to extend Moore's law. One approach is to use new materials, such as carbon nanotubes or graphene. These materials have different electronic properties than silicon, and they may be able to be made smaller without the same problems with quantum tunneling. Another approach is to use new manufacturing techniques, such as extreme ultraviolet lithography. These techniques can be used to create smaller features on a chip, which can help to pack more transistors into a given area. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that Moore's law cannot continue forever. At some point, the physical limits of transistor technology will be reached. When that happens, we will need to find new ways to continue the trend of increasing computing power. Here are some of the challenges that are being faced in trying to continue Moore's law: The cost of manufacturing: As transistors get smaller, the cost of manufacturing them increases. This is because the manufacturing process becomes more complex and requires more precise equipment. The power consumption: As transistors get smaller, they also consume more power. This is because the electrons have less space to move around in, so they need more energy to do so. The heat dissipation: As transistors get smaller, they also generate more heat. This is because the electrons are moving faster and colliding with each other more often. This heat can damage the transistors and shorten their lifespan. Despite these challenges, there is still a lot of research and development being done in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. It is possible that we will find new ways to overcome these challenges and continue Moore's law for many years to come.

Thank you for this. I haven't read an explanation tying the molecular structure of silicon to the flow of electrons in a transistor before as clearly as this, and I've looked at several books on electronics. Especially the need for an insulator between the gate and the P type silicon.

You accomplished in less than 7 minutes what my college professor wasn't able to do for months. The guy was smart, but couldn't teach worth crap. He'd show us a circuit diagram, toss an equation at us, and have us memorize it. It took me months to figure it out, on my own, just what a transistor was actually doing.

Thank you for clearing the ambiguity of what transistors do. No one else explained what turning on the base for each transistor did.

10 years have completed, we have actually reached that level after invention of 2nm 3nm transistors. NOW quantum effects are creating problmes and solutions are also available to overcome that. This is evident of the amazing work of this channel. Hats off

This is such a great video. As an electrical engineer who is very weak in chemistry, this definitely helped me understand the processes of transistors.

Its 7nm now in 2019 😱😱😱

this explained transistors better in 6 minutes than my college professor did in in a couple hour long lectures. Neat!

Damn its crazy its been 10 years since this video came out...

Great video. I'm studying Computer Engineering right now and I specifically working with semiconductor physics in one of my classes. I feel like I understand it a lot better after watching this video.

Thanks for taking the time to put this together - greatly appreciated!

I can only wish there would have been Veritasium when I was in high school. It only took me like what, 30 years to properly understand it. Still worth it, all of the journey. Oh and that German/Swiss Quantum scientist... Quite a highlight. Oh BTW, you said a problem we would have along the road in ten years, and it's been eight since this video, so maybe time for... An update?

Never really thought that I would rewatch this video for my exam, after 9 years in the same day it was released !!!!

We now have 14nm transistors in our products.

You have taught me more in 1 video than an entire 50-minute lecture.

Thank you - This was a great video. Im refurbishing a pinball machine & I have to replace some transistors on the motherboard. In a blog a guy said take a wire & touch one end to the top drain of the transistor & the other side to a ground & if the bumper fires, you found your problem. The transistor was the issue. Now I understand how & why that test worked = )

Complex concept explained in a very simple way. Thank you for your work.

I really, really, want to understand exactly how these things work, but every time I go deep into electronics i just get more confused. I can do quantum mechanics, complex algebraical proofs involving imaginary numbers, but just not those stupid electrons. I watched this video, said OMG i get it, then saw comments saying that this is only a specific kind of transistor, so I looked up the other kind and now I'm busy wiping the brain off my screen.

you dont know how much time i spent to learn this, and then there is a 6 minute video that learned it from :O very good video :D

Dude I need more of this... a whole series explaining how a computer works... all the way from the electricity to watching you on my screen.

2 years to go and hearing about the research into 3nm transistors now, Derek was almost spot on!

So my Tamagotchi is just a machine!? *I FAIL TO BELIEVE THAT! MY TAMAGOTCHI LIVES!*

I actually understand them now. Amazing! Now can you explain how these transistors work to do logic in a computer? (for example, add a couple of numbers.)

I’m taking electronics and my prof pretty much refuses to explain transistors because I have not taken solid states yet. I am so grateful for this video

10 years now and the limit of Moore's law is coming to pass. Still the best video I have seen on explaining the function and limitations of transistors. Paper lantern costume is legend!!!

>we shouldn't have any problems till about 10 years down the track That was 6 years ago D:

I'm in a rabbit hole of trying to understand how computers work on a physical levels today. This was an important puzzle piece, thanks!

No doubt that this is the best explanation ever👍🙏 Thanks sir for teaching us and making concepts easier and clear in interesting ways🙏❤️

Thank you. :-) Now for a class on the emitter, collector, and whatever the third thing is.

Great video as always ! btw ,the one u have explained is The Bipolar Junction transistor . while the one used in Computers is MOSFET ( metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor ) you can explain FET much easier than bjts . we used to use bjts in computers 40 years ago , the digital circuits based on bjts are known as TTL or transistor transistor logic . Now . we use CMOS digital circuits which stands for "Complementary mosfet ".

"Now, since the hole is the _lack_ of an electron, it actually acts as a _positive_ charge." It's this opposite-terminology confusion that has always made me wish, since my knowledge of it, that the industry would have made a really big deal about reversing the convention based on the relatively modern discovery that it DC flows in the opposite direction as was originally thought (every official reference made past such-and-such date will refer to electrons as POSITIVE because there's something _there,_ instead of something missing, and then holes and protons are _negative)_ This is the same gripe that I have about source/drain and collector/emitter.

2019 - still the best video that explains transistors ...

Thanks again for making this; it really cleared up my understanding for a paper I'm working on.

This channel answers lots of curiosities. Good stuff!

That was a really great demonstration of this subject!

Is that a t-shirt of prof Martyn Poliakoff (the periodic table of videos one) at 7:00 ?

You made an arguably confusing concept fairly simple. Wish I had this 5 years ago in my 2nd year EE course

9 year and we get from 22 nm to 1 nm It probably the perfect time for new episode for transistor. thankyou Mr. Derek

It has been 10 years 💀

i learnt more about transistors in this six minutes than i have in three years studying technology, thank you very much for this video.

Imagine the hard work those three who invented this transistor went through to get the first one working in a lab

"A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track." we are already here, time flies

I've watched quite a few videos on transistors and this is the only video that has actually helped me to understand them

That silicone suit next holloween!! great vid. had trouble visualizing the concept.

I refuse to use a computer that uses doping. I live a bad ass lifestyle which means no drugs or alcohol. Ok maybe alcohol, but no doping.

thank you! you made it so clear, plus the conclusion, it's just perfect , wow!

I never understood transistors any better! thank you!!

well I expected explanation of bipolar junction transistor also not completely true, aplying positive voltage to gate attracts electrons, and repells holes so near the gate we forecefuly create n-type semiconductor, and now there is no barrier so current can flow

This 6 minutes video is way better than 3 hours of academic class

It's actually 10 years down the track. We gonna need another video

@veritasium we need a 2023 version on the latest developments in transistor technologies. Please help to create a new one - Thanks again for creating awesome content.

7 years down the road, I am wondering how we're heading towards 2nm chips. How did we overcome quantum tunneling?

great video... so simple and so complete.

Video: "A problem we won't face until probably 10 years down the track." Me: *Sees video was released 10 years ago*

quite ironic that n-type and p-type has the Swiss flag, symbol of neutral, but its a plus sign

Great video, but some minor correction is needed: [5:05] 22 nm (50 atoms) is not the size or width of a transistor, it is the name of the manufacturing technology process (semiconductor device fabrication). It is kind of manufacturing apparatus resolution, the minimal size of one step in processing, and not a size of a whole transistor, which is many times larger. 22 nm is kind of a width of the tip of your paint-brush by which you draw a painting. The smaller your pain-brush, the smaller portrait you can draw with this paint-brush without loosing the amount of details. ->>>> Crystalline silicon has the lattice spacing of 0.543 nm, so 22nm/0.543nm = 40.5 atoms. They are planning to have 5nm process in 2021, which is just 9 atoms. Can you imagine a transistor of 9 atom width? It is 3 atoms for its central P part! Where are the impurities of Boron or Phosphorus supposed to sit in that case?

Holy crap that was awesome! Thank you for making this so simple to understand!

Best explanation of transistor I have come across! Thanks!

What makes me laugh with these videos, whether it's Veritasium, Vsauce, MinutePhysics, Mythbusters, etc., is that there is always a massive argument war in the comments below. What people fail to realize is that the majority of these videos are generalizations. Meant to be explained in a way that the average 12 to 17-year-old can hopefully understand. Then you have the "pro" or the individual who is an "expert" on the subject decry the video and talk about all the errors and generalizations. If Derek was to go into detail in every one of his videos, it's not longer a fun 5 to 10 minute video aimed at getting curious minds interested in a subject. They get bombarded with too much information, too many formulas and theories. It's school for them, and people will stop watching the video. I just wish more people would take the video at face value, understand what these videos are attempting to do. Instead, it's just another place for "smart people" to puff out their chest and show off. That they want the world to see how smart they think they are.

Haha I wish my professor would discuss it this way in class...wearing a costume! Really catchy and creative!

You explain me this better than my physics teacher. It comes in our exams.

Amazing job! You got to be the one that finally made me understand.

THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING i love the quality and the explanation of this video

I thought this video said “translators”. I always wanted to know how Google Translate does it. Totally mislead myself!! Lol. Anyway, cool video.

I think I understood this better solely because you dressed up as molecules.

I want to be your student. The way you explain things I love it. I am Electrical and Computer engineer but have no clue about electronics at all.