Researchers led by the University of Edinburgh have created a new type of material that acts as a highly effective semiconductor, which could soon make everyday electronics faster and more energy-efficient.

The next-gen material, which the team said was thought to be near-impossible to make until now, was made by combining the chemical elements germanium and tin, with the resulting alloy more effective at absorbing and emitting light than typical semiconductors made of silicon.

While previous research had suggested that the germanium-tin alloy might act as an effective semiconductor, producing it had proven very challenging, as these elements do not chemically react with each other under normal conditions

To produce a stable alloy, the scientists worked with extreme conditions – heating mixtures of germanium and tin to more than 1200 degrees Celsius, while applying pressures of up to 10 gigapascals, around 100 times greater than the pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

According to the research team’s paper, the end result of this process is a highly resilient germanium-tin alloy that functions at room temperature and pressure, paving the way for a new class of more efficient semiconductor. 

“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,” said Dr George Serghiou, from Edinburgh University’s School of Engineering

“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.”

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With traditional silicon-based semiconductors being pushed to their physical limits due to AI’s thirst for higher throughput but lower latency, research such as this will be central to powering the next wave of emerging technologies.

Moving away from a reliance on traditional materials like copper to fabricate semiconductors could also prove essential to curbing a chip shortage that threatens the pace of AI development. 

Research from PwC last year forecast that, as early as 2035, at least 34% of vital copper supply chains will be at risk of disruption as mines begin to run dry, threatening a third (32%) of global semiconductor production.