Next-gen semiconductor material for light-based electronics

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh have developed a new material that could enable electronic devices to work faster and use less energy.

The research findings indicate the material, which was until now thought near-impossible to make, can act as a highly effective semiconductor — a key component of modern electrical devices.

Using the new semiconductor in electronics such as computer processors or medical imaging devices could help them run more efficiently, the team says.

The material — made by combining the chemical elements germanium and tin — can absorb and emit light more effectively than commonly used semiconductors made of silicon.

It works by facilitating the conversion of light into electrical energy, and vice-versa, which is key to the operation of so-called optoelectronic devices.

While previous research had suggested that the germanium–tin alloy could in theory act as an effective semiconductor for converting light to and from electrical energy, producing it had proven very challenging.

This is partly because the elements do not chemically react with each other under normal conditions.

Now, a team led by Edinburgh researchers has created not just a single material, but an entirely new class of semiconductors made of germanium–tin.

The approach involves heating mixtures of germanium and tin to more than 1200°C, while applying pressures of up to 10 gigapascals — around 100 times greater than the pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean.

The process produces stable germanium–tin alloys at room temperature and pressure that could function as effective semiconductors.

The research has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

“This work opens up fertile avenues for new materials design through our newly defined in-concert route of creating reactivity and directing recovery of materials with desired crystal structure. This is demonstrated here towards addressing the growing power demand of electronic devices and data centres that need innovative paths to new materials that could boost energy efficiency by using light,” said Dr George Serghiou, School of Engineering.

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