The 2N3055 NPN power transistor has been in continuous production and active use for over six decades. ElectronicsNotes breaks down why this TO-3 packaged component belongs in the same conversation as the 555 timer and the 741 op-amp.
The detail that justifies reading further: the 2N3055 was not always the epitaxial device you know. It launched in the early 1960s using hometaxial construction. The mid-1970s transition to epitaxial raised the transistor's Ft high enough to cause unwanted oscillation in existing circuits, forcing engineers to modify designs built around the original part. That is a real consequence buried in a component most people treat as a static, solved problem.
The 2N3055 still ships in audio amplifiers, bench power supplies, and countless legacy systems. It has been surpassed on nearly every spec sheet metric. It has not disappeared. The full video is worth your time if you want to understand why some components outlive entire semiconductor generations.
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