Science has named the best semiconductor ever discovered

Silicon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, and has also become the foundation of today's high-tech society. However, the properties of silicon do not yet allow this mass material to become the most efficient semiconductor.

Although the silicon structure allows electrons to move easily inside, it is not easily compatible with electron holes - the concept of physics can take the character of a positively charged particle; In certain technologies, materials must take advantage of both electrons and electron holes (or 'holes' for short) to be highly efficient.

Moreover, silicon is not a good conductor of heat, which is why electronics often experience overheating and need expensive cooling systems.

Boron arsenide is a good transporter of both electrons and holes, and has good thermal conductivity.

To solve the conundrum, a team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Houston and many other institutions searched for another, more efficient semiconductor. Experimenting with cubic boron arsenide, the team broke through the limits of silicon: boron arsenide is a good transporter of both electrons and holes, and is a good conductor of heat. 

The team claims it is the most efficient semiconductor ever discovered by science, possibly even the best.

So far, boron arsenide has only been made in the lab and participated in small-scale tests. The researchers had to use a special method developed by former MIT professor Song Bai to test individual, small areas within boron arsenide.

Further studies will be needed to confirm boron arsenide's potential and verify its ability to replace silicon. However, in the near future, the special properties of this material may still be useful.

Boron arsenide - the best semiconductor material we know.

In a new scientific report published at the end of July in the journal Science, the conclusions all show that boron arsenide lives up to initial expectations. Previous studies have assumed that the material is a good conductor of heat, and efficiently conducts both electrons and electron holes. The actual test shows that the thermal conductivity of boron arsenide is nearly 10 times better than that of silicon.

The new report shows that boron arsenide already possesses all the properties required to be an ideal semiconductor. 'This is important, because semiconductors contain both positively and negatively charged particles. So if you want to build a device, you have to have a material that allows both electrons and holes to flow with as little resistance as possible."

Silicon transfers electrons very well but does not allow electron holes to drift effectively, and some other materials, such as gallium arsenide used in laser technology, have similar problems.

"Heat is currently one of the "bottlenecks" problems in many electronic devices," said one of the two lead authors of the new study, Shin Jungwoo. 'Silicon carbide is gradually replacing silicon in the production of electrical goods in some leading electric vehicle companies, including Tesla, thanks to its ability to conduct heat three times faster than silicon, despite its inefficient carrier capacity. plain. Imagine what boron arsenide can do with 10 times greater thermal efficiency'.

According to the scientists, the new material not only has the best thermal conductivity of any semiconductor, but it is also the third best of all known matter - second only to diamond. and isotope-enriched boron nitride.

"It's really impressive, because I don't know of any other material besides graphene that has all these properties," said study co-author Chen Gang.

The carbon arrangement makes up the graphene structure.

According to him, the current challenge is to find an efficient way to produce boron arsenide in large quantities. Chemical synthesis to form boron arsenide is difficult, and the single crystal form of the material is often flawed. And yet, despite the proven properties, the scientists 'don't know if the material will be used or applicable to any industry'.

"Silicon is still the mainstay of the industry," said Gang researcher. 'It's true that we get a better material, but will it shake the industry? We are not good'. Although the new material seems to be the ideal semiconductor, it has not been proven that it can be suitable for the electronics we have today.

Although both electrical and thermal conductivity have been demonstrated, other properties such as durability, recyclability, etc. have not been elucidated. That prevents boron arsenide from becoming the industry's 'new silicon'. The scientists hope that the new research report will help boron arsenide receive the attention it deserves.

According to researcher Shin Jungwoo, to be used commercially, the production and refining process of boron arsenide must be as efficient as silicon. 'Silicon took decades to get to where it is today, having a purity of up to 99.999999999%, or 10 number 9, on the mass production line'.

To be able to have a foothold in the market, Mr. Chen Gang said it will need "many people to develop many ways of manufacturing and classifying materials". However, it is not clear where the capital to carry out all these costly activities comes from.