field effect transistor

1 definition found

field effect transistor - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  field effect transistor
  
     <electronics> (FET) A transistor with a region of donor
     material with two terminals called the "source" and the
     "drain", and an adjoining region of acceptor material
     between, called the "gate".  The voltage between the gate and
     the substrate controls the current flow between source and
     drain by depleting the donor region of its charge carriers to
     greater or lesser extent.
  
     There are two kinds of FET's, Junction FETs and MOSFETs.
  
     Because no current (except a minute leakage current) flows
     through the gate, FETs can be used to make circuits with very
     low power consumption.
  
     Contrast bipolar transistor.
  
     (1995-10-05)