A team has created a nanometer-thin germanium epilayer grown on silicon and subjected to precise compressive strain, forming an ultra-pure crystal lattice that dramatically increases charge mobility.

This strained germanium layer enables charge to move faster than in any silicon-compatible material previously known, potentially delivering cooler, faster chips with much lower energy consumption.

The work, published in Materials Today, showcases leadership by the University of Warwick and the UK in advanced semiconductor materials research and highlights potential for scalable manufacturing.

Researchers say the breakthrough could enable practical, large-scale integration of ultra-fast, low-power semiconductor components using existing silicon technology.

The advance holds promise for silicon-based quantum devices, including quantum information systems and spin qubits, alongside traditional electronics.

By marrying high mobility with silicon manufacturing compatibility, the development offers a path for both classical and quantum devices.

The material achieved a record hole mobility of 7.15 million cm2 per volt-second, vastly surpassing silicon’s ~450 cm2/V·s and signaling dramatically faster, more energy-efficient electronics.

Potential applications span quantum information systems, spin qubits, cryogenic controllers for quantum processors, AI accelerators, and energy-efficient data-center servers.

Additional applications include cryogenic controllers for quantum processors, AI accelerators, and servers designed to reduce cooling demands in data centers.

A collaboration between the University of Warwick and the National Research Council of Canada reports the highest hole mobility in a silicon-compatible material using a cs-GoS (compressively strained germanium-on-silicon) structure.

The achievement marks the highest hole mobility measured in a silicon-compatible material through engineering a nanometer-scale germanium epilayer on silicon under compressive strain.