Semiconductors broke the speed record. Its properties are so amazing that it is difficult to believe

Silicon is commonly used to produce semiconductors. Their electrical conductivity can be modified, and researchers continue to strive to achieve the fastest possible transmission using these elements. From the post published in: Sciences It shows that recently developed semiconductors are breaking records when it comes to power transmission.

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All this under ambient conditions, i.e. at room temperature. The recording material consists of rhenium, selenium and chlorine. Its chemical formula is Re₆se₈Cl₂, and their behavior when interactions between phonons and excitons are particularly interesting. Contrary to expectations, they do not separate, but rather combine to form a quasiparticle called an exciton-polaron.

Why is this strange? This is because phonons – when they interact with excitons – usually cause them to scatter. This reaction is accompanied by the release of heat and a decrease in the speed of transmission of energy and information through the semiconductor. Thanks to a new approach developed by scientists from Columbia University, this was avoided.

Silicon semiconductors previously had limitations in terms of data transfer rates and power. The new variant breaks all records in this regard

We are talking about the possibility of transferring information and energy at twice the speed as in the case of electrons moving in a silicon semiconductor. In addition to the speed of movement, the speed of processing information is also important. Unlike classical solutions in which control is done by electricity, light plays a major role here. Therefore, processing can be a million times faster than previously used semiconductors.

If you think this is where the potential advantages end, we need to disabuse you of your illusion. The proposed technology does not require cooling to very low temperatures. On the contrary: the benefits of its use become visible already at room temperature. According to the authors of recent research, their semiconductors are the most famous in science. These are strong words that do not appear to be unfounded.

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Unfortunately, when something seems too good to be true, it sometimes turns out not to be quite true. In this case, the results achieved are very real, but the problem lies elsewhere. It has to do with the limited availability of rhenium. It is, after all, one of the rarest elements on Earth, so it is difficult to imagine that the described semiconductor can be produced and used on a large scale. The only hope remains that one day it will be possible to find vast resources of rhenium or that scientists will find an alternative to it that will not negatively affect the results achieved.