Japanese Semiconductor Numbers

Japanese semiconductor part numbering tends to confuse Americans, both because numbering conventions are different in the two countries and because Japanese part numbers often are abbreviated. Some Japanese transistors have part numbers that begin with 2N and are equivalent to U.S. parts with the same numbers, but most begin with 2SA, 2SB, 2SC or 2SD. Semiconductors with part numbers that begin with 2SA or 2SB are PNP transistors. Those that begin with 2SC or 2SD are NPN transistors. However, the first two characters often are omitted to save space when printing on transistors, so a part marked C945 is actually a 2SC945. Japanese transistor part numbers that begin with the digit 3 are FET's. ©2004 Tigertek, Inc. All rights reserved.

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