"**Very pure silicon is the basis of all microprocessors**, including those that run all modern electronic devices—from the largest supercomputers to the smallest mobile phone—and [[Jan Czochralski]] discovered how to grow single silicon crystals in 1915. Large numbers of transistors are built into silicon, and [[Julius Edgar Lilienfeld]] patented the first field-effect transistor in 1925. And, as already detailed, integrated circuits were born in 1958–1959, and microprocessors in 1971." ([Location 4189](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08SGC3TD3&location=4189)) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[microprocessors]], [[transistors]], [[semiconductors]], [[moore's-law]], [[innovation]] **Source** -- [[202412030828 - B - How the World Really Works]]