Norberto Hernandez Como of Instituto Politecnico Nacional

"100 Years of the Field-Effect Transistor and Its Transformative Impact

on Technology and Society vs challenges"

presented by

Norberto Hernández Como, PhD

IEEE Senior Member, Centro de Nanociencias y Micro y Nanotecnologías
Instituto Politécnico Nacional
CDMX, México

Abstract:

The Field-Effect Transistor (FET) stands as one of the most transformative innovations in modern electronics. Its conceptual roots trace back to Julius Lilienfeld’s 1925 patent for a three-terminal device capable of controlling current through an electric field an idea far ahead of its time. While early experimental attempts failed to realize a working device, they laid the scientific groundwork for the later success of solid-state transistors and deepened our understanding of semiconductor physics.
The invention of the FET was not merely a technical milestone but a cultural shift in electronic design. It challenged engineers to think beyond the thermionic principles of vacuum tubes and embrace a new paradigm based on charge carriers and field control. This reorientation from current driven by heat to current governed by an electric field transformed how we conceive, build, and interact with technologies. Devices are not just discrete elements for digital or analog electronics. They represent the core of our technological relationships, reminding us to approach engineering with a more holistic and systems-oriented mindset.
This talk will cover a brief history of the FET and how Instituto Politecnico Nacional at CDMX is working on the field of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits.

Biography:

In 2006, he earned his bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering with a major in Communications from the Oaxaca Institute of Technology. In 2012, he earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), focusing on the development of crystalline silicon/amorphous silicon heterojunction solar cells. He joined the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) as a Research Associate in the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, leading the operation of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and cryogenic Hall effect characterization systems. His work at UTD focused on the fabrication of thin-film transistors, diodes, solar cells, and photodetectors based on II-VI compounds. Since 2013, he has been working at the Centro de Nanociencias y Micro y Nanotecnologías at IPN, where he specializes in cleanroom-based semiconductor device and integrated circuit fabrication and testing made of emerging materials. He is a National System of Researchers (SNI) Level II member and a Senior Member of IEEE. Over his career, he has published over 40 articles in international journals and supervised more than 20 undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. students.

Address:Distrito Federal, Mexico