trunkmonk The article you were reading is nearly as clear as mud. Basically in a transistor heat kills. Here is how it happens. There is a Primary measurement called Tj which is the temp at the emitter base, base collector junction. If the transistor is operating on a cake of dry ice, Tj is very low. Tj is what is called a derating factor as Tj rises a current called the minority current increases. This current bucks the majority current lowering the Beta of the transistor and increases the heat, think heat sink. At some point the growing minority current breaks the juction down (nuetralizes the doping), creating a piece of wire. When they say in the article that heat is a serious consideration they are very correct, they just didn't tell you why.
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