Scientists at the University of Warwick and the National Research Council of Canada say they have achieved the highest electrical conductivity ever recorded in a silicon-compatible material, marking what they describe as a major step toward faster, more efficient electronic and quantum devices.<\/p>\n
The breakthrough, published this week in Materials Today, centers on a nanometer-thin, compressively strained germanium layer grown on a silicon wafer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The material allows electrical charge to move through it with unprecedented ease, potentially extending the life of silicon-based chip manufacturing as the semiconductor industry confronts the physical limits of modern processors.<\/p>\n
New quantum semiconductor material<\/p>\n
Most chips today still rely on silicon, but as components shrink and transistor densities rise, modern devices generate more heat and face diminishing returns on performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Germanium, used in the earliest transistors of the 1950s, has long been known to offer superior charge mobility but has been difficult to integrate with mainstream silicon production techniques.<\/p>\n
Dr. Maksym Myronov, an associate professor at Warwick and head of the university\u2019s Semiconductors Research Group, said the team\u2019s new germanium-on-silicon material, known as compressively strained germanium on silicon (cs-GoS), overcomes that barrier.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraditional high-mobility semiconductors such as gallium arsenide are very expensive and cannot be integrated with modern silicon manufacturing,\u201d Myronov said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur new CS-GoS quantum material combines world-leading mobility with industrial scalability, a key step toward practical quantum and classical large-scale integrated circuits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Researchers achieved the performance gains by applying controlled compressive strain to an ultrathin germanium layer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That process creates an extremely pure, orderly crystal structure, reducing imperfections that slow the flow of electrical charge.<\/p>\n
Measurements show the material reached a record hole mobility of 7.15 million square centimeters per volt-second, many times higher than standard industrial silicon and the highest value ever reported for a group-IV semiconductor compatible with modern chip fabrication.<\/p>\n
Breaking the conductivity record\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Sergei Studenikin, principal research officer at the National Research Council of Canada, said the results set \u201ca new benchmark for charge transport\u201d in materials central to the global electronics industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt opens the door to faster, more energy-efficient electronics and quantum devices that are fully compatible with existing silicon technology,\u201d Studenikin said.<\/p>\n
The development comes as chipmakers and governments race to push beyond the limits of conventional semiconductor designs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Higher-mobility materials could help manufacturers reduce energy use, increase processing speeds, and support the emerging demands of quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and advanced data centers.<\/p>\n
The Warwick\u2013Canada team says the CS-GoS platform could<\/a> serve as a foundation for future quantum information systems, spin-based qubits, cryogenic control circuits, and ultralow-power processors.\u00a0<\/p>\n